Kunai and Cellphone
by Lord StarKnight
Summary: People, hidden in the shadows, are changing the Narutoverse introducing technologies from our world and attacking its future heroes. What may be their goal? What terrible changes this "new technology" will bring? Only one person seems able to make a stand against them: the only geek in the entire WORLD that didn't have read Naruto!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, I'm Lord StarKnight, writer, Gamer and big reader. :-)

Naruto isn't mine of course, it's Kishimoto's creation.

I'm sorry but the Naruto part will begin only in chapter 2, the first chapter will introduce the OCs and the plot of the story. Because the project is to make a story with a real plot about the travel to the Narutoverse. The OC doesn't just come to Narutoverse with a magic trick, there's a real story behind it.

I hope my writing style and the OCs will make you read everything. I... We hope that you'll like it. ;-)

P.S: I'm French, English isn't my first language. So, give a big THANK YOU to LyraBelle-chan for correcting my translations.

Have fun reading! ^^

* * *

Chapter 1

Atop a hill in the middle of a beautiful green forest, a particularly happy and smiling teacher stood in the morning sun, further proving that he had absolutely no idea of how ridiculous his amateur explorer's clothes really were. He turned to his students who were laboriously climbing through the trail to join him. He exclaimed cheerfully:

"Come on kids! It is such a beautiful day and the wind smells like nature. Buck up! "

His students replied with some laments. One of them panted.

"It's easy for you to say Professor Scott."

Some girl complained.

"If I had known I would have taken more appropriate footwear. My feet are already aching."

Another one retorted.

"How old are you? Seventeen or seventy?"

"It should be prohibited to force young people to camp in the middle of nowhere." Cried a pupil.

A blond one yelled.

"You think you're the only one who doesn't have any desire to come here? I will miss a great concert because of this."

"And me a good Re-run of Doctor Who." Added the smallest one in the class.

A girl with jingling wooden pearls in her hairs exclaimed.

"Hey! We are here for several days so don't begin to complain now."

"Shut up Redhead! We were not talking to you!", replied the irritated blond.

Professor Scott, feeling that the situation was escalating again, tried to inject a new exhilaration.

"Come On! Look around you. This forest is beautiful. Didn't I told you that there is nothing like Practical experience to study biology."

That little intervention by the teacher had, kind of, the desired effect. All of his students started to calm down, albeit each for they own reasons. Those who were happy to be here, including the red-haired girl, agreed gently with him. The others remembered who had pushed them into this backwater place. But, having no desire to make an enemy of their teacher, especially near the end of the year, they just grumbled inwardly or, in the worst case, in a low voice.

Relieved to have been able to avoided a gang war, Professor Scott was about to resume work after launching another of his annoying repeat, or motivating, depend on those who heard it, when he was suddenly interrupted by the girl with braided hair.

"Please wait professor!"

He stopped before turning to the redhead.

"A problem, miss Ashford?"

She nodded, pointing behind her with her thumb.

"We have a latecomer."

The whole class turned around to find Ryan there and it hasn't surprised them at all.

One of the student who usually drew the least attention to him, despite his curious pendants and dress code, was just beginning to catch up with the group ahead. He was visibly more focused on his Playstation Vita than hiking itself.

"Why is this not surprise me?" Asked a brunette.

The little one remarked.

"Always lagging behind. In classroom AND in everyday life apparently."

"And did you see his clothes. This is so nerdy." Expressed some fashion critics . But the student in question had put the volume in his headphones too loud to hear the contemptuous criticisms around adressed to him .

The Professor, exasperated by what he saw, screamed so loud that the birds around actually fled in panic.

"MISTER STEVEN RYAN! REPORT IMMEDIATELY!"

This shout, on the contrary, Steven actually heard it, and it wasn't an easy feat to overcome the Metallica's song he had in his ears. The other students began to worry and some even panic slightly .

A student shaked.

"Alert ! Sergeant Scott is back."

The brunette moaned.

"Of all the biology's teachers in London, we had to end up with the one that has a military background."

His neighbor finished.

"And out of all the nerds in England, we had to get stuck with the one that can piss the Professor off in record time...".

The student with pendants saved his game before storing his portable console and headphones in the pockets of his jeans. He eventually joined his teacher without a frightened face, compared to the others. It's just because his worry was balanced by his frustration at having to stop his game at an interesting moment. Walking towards his torturer, Steven Ryan thought: "What does he want this time?".

He felt like an accused about to appear before a judge to convinced of his innocent. That was in any case how he considered it. He walked with edgy looks from his classmates shooting at him, in a clear message that they would make him regret it if they encoutered any problems because of him.

"Don't be silly." Whispered a student.

"Or believe me you will regret it." Threatened another blond.

The omen was a perfectly clear assertion now. The public in the court did not seem eager to support him, and anyway, they would only did it only for personal interest. But Steven didn't care at all. He calmly placed himself in front of his teacher whose face contorted by anger.

"Mr. Ryan..." Grumbled the teacher .

"Can I know what you were doing with a game console here?"

The young man replied with the bored tone of someone who was asked about something obvious:

"It's evident , isn't it? I was playing."

impatiently stated.

"Do not start trying to smarttalk me. I forbade you all to bring this kind of stuff..."

"To enjoy nature and fresh air. I know. Everybody know that." Steven finished wearily.

"Then why are you the only one in the class with one of these machines of doom? And the worst part is that you slow everyone else down with that."

Steven replied calmly, raising his forefinger, to defend his case the best he can.

"Firstly Mr. Scott: If you think I'm the only one who brought a game console, I must tell you that you do not really know this class as well as you think."

Several student tensed with fear and inwardly called him a moron.

Steven continued, raising a second finger.

"Secondly: Any smartphone can be used to play a lot of games. So it's not only the consoles, but all cell phones in class that you should also forbid."

This time, it is the whole class that tensed and inwardly called Steven a Moron.

He concluded, showing three fingers.

"And finally the third: I can walk at normal speed while playing without any problems. If I'm slower it's because my bag weighs more than the others."

The class and his teacher were a little surprised at that.

"Ha! Aren't you the weakest one?" Joked the blondie.

But the brunette tried, hesitantly, looking at Steven's luggage.

"It is true that his own seems bigger than the others. No?"

A student with a wick stated.

"Now that you mention it ... "

He glanced to his classmates with his visible eye

"It's true that he has the biggest bag."

"Moreover, I think it's not a camouflage pattern."

Informed the Fashion critic.

"But a True military bag."

"What ? It's really his own ?" Asked an exasperated student.

"I thought he was carrying stuffs for the Serg ... I mean, the Professor."

It was at this point that the braided redhead sighed and walked over to her classmate with pendants to, difficultly, feel the weight of the bag in question. She reached her conclusion, puffing and panting.

"It is actually heavier. In fact, it is very heavy."

Steven looked with a thank-you smile to the redhead student, to which she did not responded to. The teacher only just took a look at the ginger called Ashford before continuing to question the young man.

"And why is your package so heavy and bulky? I gave you a specific list of items to bring along."

"And I can assure you that I have everything that you ask without fail. I just put more of my personal additions." Claimed Steven.

The professor, who was beginning to feel tired of his nonchalant attitude, questioned him, fearing the answer a bit.

"What additions?"

"You want a full inventory Sergeant?" Mocked the young man with a tired sigh.

"Watch your attitude young man! You already made us waste a lot of time so be quick."

"Just my emergency equipment if I have to leave the house more than twenty-four hours: Laptop, Smartphone, Touch pad, music player, a duplicate of each, USB sticks, two Joysticks for Computer, all necessary wiring, a complete system of portable solar generator, my box of pendants, my portable hard drives containing ten thousand books, comics and manga, five thousands movies, TV series and Anime as well as three hundred games ... Oh! And some real books, just in case. "

The teacher nodded and replied.

"At least you took some books ... Wait a second ... YOU BROUGHT WHAAAT ?!"

All the students were speechless. The young Ashford actually facepalmed in exasperation. The blonde exclaimed.

"You believed you were leaving for a five-year mission or what Admiral Adama?"

Steven admitted with disdain.

"Nice try Blondie. But you mixed Star Trek with Battlestar Galactica, idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot ?! And I have a name you know !" the blonde replied.

That was the straw that broke the teacher's back. He exploded with a roar louder than a lion.

"MISTER RYAN! You will immediately come down to the bus, empty this bag and come back with only the bare essential ! Is that clear ?!"

The teenager with pendants panicked as if he had just been announced that he has a price on his head.

"WHAAAAT ?! But what will I do without my stuffs?! What if it rains and water come in? Or a prowler burgle the bus when we are not here? Or an asteroid falls over? Or a being from another dimension try to call me on my cell and I'm not there to pick it up ? "

Some students froze with their jaws hanging in astonishment. Others laughed without shame, knowing that Steven, even if he was panicking, sincerely believed that each of his theories were possible. Mr. Scott replied with the seriousness of a war general : "I don't care! Professor Mitchell is still there to make some phone calls and gather materials. You'll join him immediately, tell your report and do what I told you.

"But ..." Tried Steven.

"No 'but'! And to be sure you tell him exactly what I told you, miss Ashford will accompany you."

"But ..." Exclaimed the redhead.

"I said no 'But!' Go there now. Professor Mitchell knows the way to reach us." Seeing that the battle was well and truly lost. The two condemned students began to retrace their steps. The young man with a long sigh of frustration and anger, tinged with wailing. And the girl muttering, "Why did I involved?" and "All because of this idiot." They passed among the other students, relieved not to have suffered one of the collective punishments of the Sergeant Scott. Some, however, did not forget to laugh softly or glower at the eccentric duo.

On the way back, Steven and his partner in misfortune did not exchange a word until they couldn't see their classmates and its commander anymore. As soon as they are outside his vision, the man with the pendants sighed, lamenting.

"Ugh ... That teacher is so annoying ."

"Don't push it."

Interjected the red head, very irritated.

"It's your fault."

Steven replied with a disgruntled boredom.

"Oh sorry for not standing to attention whenever Sergeant is talking."

The Ashford growled.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"So what?"

"It was you who brought all this useless stuffs and upset the teacher. He said he doesn't want to see any game consoles."

"He's the only one who can believe that three days in the forest listening to him can be more interesting than my J-Stars Victory VS imported from Japan. I already spend three quarters of my days in school, I don't understand why I should give up my stuffs outside this time. "

The girl grunted.

"I'll never understand how you can stay all the day in front of those stupid screens. You do not even understand what is written in this one."

"That's wrong. I told you ..."

She interjected.

"That you are learning Japanese I know. I know well enough how obsessed you are with all this Japanese things , even your haircut comes from one of those wacky character from a stupid manga."

"Pandora Heart isn't stupid! And Oz is not ... Never mind."

"You do not even have the same hair color. Yours are brown."

"It doesn't matter."

The redhead sighed for the hundredth time that day. She reprimanded.

"You're worse than my little sister. Always talking about this weird cartoons and her one-eyed idol in Naruto. Besides, before we left she asked me if I wanted to see some uncanny battle with her. "

The geek with pendants exclaimed, raising his index finger.

"Firstly: It's not Cartoons, it's Anime!"

He continued, more quietly, raising his middle finger.

"Secondly, I do not know if I've told you but, please, avoids talking about Naruto ... I didn't..."

The girl with pearls Interrupted.

"Watched or read it. Yes you've already told me. You are waiting a moment before swallowing everything in one breath."

"That's it." Confirmed Steven.

The young Ashford declared, blowing her breath.

"I sometimes feel like we're the only ones on earth that haven't watched this series yet."

The geek replied.

"Don't worry. Blondie and Fashion critic didn't watch it either."

The redhead doubted.

"I don't know if it reassures me or not to be compared to them. And do you have to call them like that? You know people hate it when you call them by nicknames that you decided alone."

"You know I can't remember names easily Ria ..."

Steven reminded before adding, with some humor.

"And anyway, they only need to look at my clothes to hate me."

The one nicknamed Ria hesitated before speaking, just like anyone searching how to tell the truth in a non-offensive way. She end up remarking.

"Well... you really don't go unnoticed. With all your tee-shirts with Dragons, warriors, wolves and other stuffs... Not to mention the three chains on your studded belt or your collection of pendants. How many have you today ? Three? "

Steven confirmed.

"Yep. A pentacle, a triskele and a dragon. That's what suited the best with the black T-shirt with wolves that I wear. I hesitated between the triskele and a Chaos Star. But I thought that, as the wolf has a rather positive significance in Celtic cultures, it was more appropriate. "

The girl with pearls couldn't fail to note the hint of pride in her friend's voice. She rarely heard him speaking with a voice other than monotone or jaded. Truth is she rarely heard him speaking at all. She pointed out to him without malice.

"If you dressed yourself in a less... impressive way, people will find you less strange."

Steven replied, on the same tone.

"I don't care about what the others think of me if it's to tell me to be anything other than myself."

Ria laughed kindly listening to this repeated phrase, seemingly coming from one of those comics that her companion in misfortune adored. She admitted with a smile.

"That's what I respect the most about you, even if you expresse it in such a ridiculous way. Ever since you gave me this pendant."

Ria took out from under her shirt a small chain of iron bearing a circle between two silver crescents. Her pleased face showed that she was delighted to have this jewel. Steven smiled, glad to see that she was still wearing the necklace he gave her a year ago. It was a smile of gratitude, thanking her for still having it. He told her.

"The triple moon. A symbol supposed to represent the three states of the woman: The Virgin, the Mother and the Crone"

The redhead with pearls continued.

"You know a lot of things. Has your mother never told you that if you just used half of the energy you put into your geek hobbies in your study, you would be number one already?"

Steven slowly lost his smile, looked at her and replied on a monotone voice.

"She must surely thought of that Ria. But she'd never told me. It would create some problems. This is not in the Agreement."

The girl felt stupid. She knew that his family was a sensitive topic and, thoughtlessly, she had mention it. A heavy silence fell between the two students. Those birdsongs, coming back after the terror caused by the sergeant, didn't help. None of them really wanted to discuss it. But fortunately for Ria, the bus was in sight. She declared.

"Oh, look, we arrived."

"I can see that. I am not short-sighted."

The redhead growled.

"No need to be so brittle... Come on, let's hurry to find Mr. Mitchell. I prefer climbing again this hill as soon as possible to forget all that.".

The geek asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I thought you liked nature."

She confirmed, glaring at him.

"I LOVE nature. What I do not like are the bulbs feet caused by idiots who do not know when to shut up."

Steven just rolled his eyes, not very excited to bring a new argument.

Once in front of the bus, parked beside a lake, the students began to scearch for Professor Mitchell. It was the girl who found him first. She pointed at him with her index. Their teacher was at in front of lake, near a small pile of boxes, tapping his phone in one hand.

"What is he doing ?" - Ria asked.

Steven guessed.

"Sergeant Scott said he had to call someone and he is next to a stack of unknown boxes. The most plausible theory is that he's working for the mafia and must deposited things for mafiosos coming later. This is diabolical. Who would suspect a bus full of students? "

Ria looked at him from the corner of her eye, afflicted, and asked with some pity.

"Is that all you could imagine? Reassure me you do not really mean what you say?"

Steven did not want to start a debate. He told her, as if it was a joke.

"Not really. Ok, here we go."

Still, Ria couldn't help but admit that this scene was very strange. She did not remember hearing their teachers talking about boxes. And, especially, she didn't understand why they haven't asked any students to carry them yet. She assumed, because it was the only logical answer, that they would have eventually ask for volunteers later.

Ria let Steven approaching their teacher alone. She preferred to be a little far off, foreshadowing the potential admonition coming and to which she would not participate. But she assumed that everything would be okay in the end, knowing what connection Steven and Mitchell had.

Professor Mitchell seemed so concentrated in what he was doing that he didn't notice the arrival of his students. The geek with pendants approached him with smile, ready to get his attention, but his call was interrupted by a leaf that the wind had sent in his face. He took it off grumbling. When it was done, he was next to his instructor. And what he saw frozed him in bewilderment.

The teacher, still unconscious of his presence, had in his left hand a mysterious metallic object overall cubic. It wasn't bigger than an apple and there was small cables. Others, attached to an outlet, joined the cellphone in his other hand. He was tapping over it, muttering, in his hoarse voice, all sorts of numbers, calculations and mathematical esoteric gibberish. Nothing seemed to be able to distract him, not even the mighty wind that fluttered the ponytail in which was attached his semi-curly black hairs.

Steven was so surprised , thrilled and confused at the same time that he couldn't pronounce anything. What was going before his eyes seemed coming out of one of his fantasty series or a science-fiction novel. The kind of event that should not happen in the real world.

Then, finally, Professor Mitchell pressed a button on his mobile phone and in the second, a small circular cavity opened on top of the cube. It came out a mesmerizing blue light that reflected in the glasses of the teacher.

Then small lightnings crackled in and out of the opening. Steven was surprised and frightened by this. Fearing a danger to himself and his teacher, he shouted "Be careful!" and, by reflex, smashed the box, projecting it on the floor, which had the effect of startling the instructor. The professor, confused and shocked, rapidly dragged his gaze between the object and Steven. The teacher was wide-eyed and had a voice full of panic, as if Steven had just touched a priceless ancient relic.

"What? But ... When did you ...? YOU FOOL!"

He sets upon the device, its lightning cracking more and more, and touched it at the same time he uttered the insult. And that's when he grabbed it that everything begun, in front of the stunned young Ria.

With a loud ding, a trembling electric bubble was created , it was more like plasma. It imprisoned within itself the two men, and the boxes, who seemed frozen like statues in water.

From outside, the bubble shrank suddenly, with everything in it, and disappeared in a flash of light barely stronger than that of a camera.

Inside though, it was a completely different story. Steven was conscious the entire time he was paralyzed. It was a very strange feeling at first. Like being plunged suddenly into very hot water, charged with an energy that tickled every square centimeter of his skin, even under clothing. But there was no way to laugh, the situation does not present itself to it.

Then there was this flash, hard enough to make anyone's eyes sting. But Steven was unable to blink to soothe the pain. He began to see pass through extraordinary things, wonderful scenes, somes incredibles or even impossibles: A pine forest in winter crossed by a sleigh pulled by a horse; A titanic creature devouring a fin animal under a greenish ocean; a crystal clear sea under a blinding sun; A sphere of light from what escaped gigantic rays to the stars; A planet with five moons reflecting off a bronze-colored lake; Dancing galaxies in the darkness of the void; A fight between a fiery warrior and one with metallic skin; A snowy mountain around which flew a scaly monstrosity; A flaming demon in a crumbling celestial world ; A steel city surrounded by columns of green energy; A desert where a group of green humanoids with four arms, rifles in hand, rode mastodons; A battle between pale horned warrior and a men in black armor throwing thunders; A beautiful villa in which a young man was walking in white and red dress; A faceless horror in the woods ... and so many more.

All of this happened so quickly for Steven that he felt lost, confused, scared, but also exhilarated and amazed. But despite this mix of sensations, he had an intense feeling of 'déjà vu' with some of these scenes, that he knew, strangely enough, was not dreams or hallucinations. A part of him, deep in his soul, against all logic, told him that it was none of these reasons, even in front the most amazing shows or the most strangely colored.

Finally, he underwent another bright flash which was accompanied by the feeling of being hit by a powerful wave. A strong shot that gave him a crushing headache and the horrible feeling that all his energy was dispersed into the four winds. The fantastic show stopped and Steven was once again in control of his movement. But the incredible exhaustion that had just strucked him, and a monumental pain throughout his body, made him collapse face down on the earth and grass, overwhelmed by the weight of his heavy bag. Everything was in darkness. All he saw, before falling into unconscious, was a blade of grass and moonlit trees.

* * *

Here we are.

Thank you to all those who read this chapter :-)

I promise the Naruto meeting is in the next chapter.

Hope you'll be there.

List of References in the order of their appearence:

Doctor Who, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, J-Stars Victory VS, Pandora Heart, Big Bang Theory, Naruto, Fairy Tail, Skyrim, Diablo, Final Fantasy VII, John Carter, Dragon Age 2, Slenderman.


	2. Chapter 2

If you're still here then it means that this fanfiction interested you. Thank you very much ^^

I hope you enjoy this chapter too, the Naruto part has finally begun. There are few Japanese words, I put their translation at the end of the chapter. Have a good reading. ^^

I just remind you that I'm not english ^^' Sorry for any mistakes you'll find

Thank you to LyraBelle-chan for her correction.

* * *

The young man with pendants finally regain his consciousness. But he felt his strength drained . So he hasn't opened his eyes yet. He seemed to have slept for hours. Even so, he wanted to continue to lie down here a little longer. But the overwhelming mass that was on his back gradually became unbearable, especially with the hard stones. He finally decided to open his eyes. The blinding light that appeared made him shut them again. He opened them slowly, getting used to the light, only to find himself surrounded by trees and bushes.

It took a little while for Steven to decide to move and gather enough energy for that. He got up very slowly, not only because of the weight of his bag, but because he was hurting all over and that his headache hasn't completely gone yet. The young geek sat on the ground, releasing the overwhelming weight he carried on his shoulders.

He breathed out, his head in his hands. He thought. 'Damn ... This headache ... This fatigue ... I haven't felt like this since the night when I watched all the Lord of the Rings movies in one setting.'

Steven sat with his eyes closed for a while. The migraine finally went away as he looked around him. There were only trees, bushes and shrubs that wouldn't let him see very far. He thought he was in the middle of the forest for a while. But he saw neither the bus nor paths or familiar faces.

It was only then that he realized a terrible fact: he was completely alone.

He rose with fear and called aloud.

"Professor Mitchell! Ria! Where are you ?! Someone?"

Steven looked around him. There was no answer, just birdsongs. He didn't dare go anywhere else. Being lost in an unfamiliar wood after such a disturbing experience, doesn't really give him the will to move. The teenager took out quickly his mobile phone MyPhone Zeta from a pocket of his jeans. His anxiety only increased when he discovered he had no network. He looked at the screen to see what time it was. Failing to locate himself in space, he hoped to do so in time. But it was also a failure. The device indicated half-past twenty-three. He looked at the black watch on his handful to check. Same conclusion. The geek calculated.

"The bus deposited us at noon. Maybe these two machines are broken, but there's little chance obviously, or I have indeed slept a whole lot of time. Yet there is the sun ... "

The young geek sat down heavily. He had an urgent need for stability. He breathed slowly to recover his calm. Once he did it, he tried to recall what happened. He remembered the teacher very well, the strange gadget and all the emotions he felt for what seemed, henceforth, to be only an exhausting but wonderful dream. It was the strong sense of déjà vu that intrigued him the most. But it has become very blurred in his mind, he had difficulty remembering exactly what he saw.

This entire craziness gave him the impression of a nightmare, or a delirium coming out of a bad Shonen. It was all the same to him.

"With such a beginning, I don't even know if my story would take twenty chapters or not."

Doing geek humor helped Steven to relax. Then he heard a sound in the distance. Something he recognized but which he did not expect.

A barking. A small bark.

'A puppy?' He asked.

Then he heard someone shouted.

"MATE Akamaru!"

Steven was even more surprised. He couldn't NOT recognize that language.

'Japanese? In England? '

The young boy with pendants approached the large bush in the direction from which the sounds seemed to come. He tried to see through them. To be discreet, and afraid of what he could discover; he stretch out on the grass and pushed gently some branches at the base of the plant. Steven froze with fear, eyes wide. Half surprises, he found himself face to face with an adorable puppy with white coat and brown ears. But it would probably be more lovely if it was not growling at him, showing its teeth.

"Akamaru" growled the voice, now closer.

It was a child's voice, a little boy. From where he was, Steven could only see his little feet, wearing some kind of blue shoes-sandals. The child seemed to ask his dog, apparently, what was its problem. But the geek was too worried by the angry animal to fully understand what the child was saying. Seeing how the fangs of the animal were sharp, Steven swallowed a big breath.

Meeting someone should have reassured him, but that boy speaking another language had the opposite effect. And the fact that he was accompanied by an aggressive beast, no matter how small it was, worsen the situation. Steven was already very confused by all that had happened to him. If he made his situation more strange, he felt he would eventually panicked. He had to move the child and his dog before one of them go through the bush.

The fear of being bitten gave an idea to the teenager. Without moving from his place, he opened one of the side pockets of his backpack and pulled out, while panicking, a small airtight bag. He took it out, pointing at the beast, a big stick of dried beef.

Immediately the animal snorted and stopped growling. It seemed rather curious now. Steven swung the meat to his right, as far as possible on the other side of the bush. The dog chased the food in a second, bringing to more shouts in Japanese from his young master who ran after him.

"Nani? MATTE Akamaru!"

Without wasting a moment, Steven put his bag on his back and ran in the opposite direction, among other trees and shrubs. He hoped to have fled quietly and quickly enough to not have the child and beast behind him. Only after a few moments of a very difficult race, even with the weight of his military bag, Steven ends up in what appeared to be a street. He panicked for a moment seeing that it was not deserted. The few passersby, whose clothes were surprising to a certain modern Londoner, looked at him in surprise, mainly because of his own dress. But the young geek, completely terrified by his surroundings, ran into a dark, narrow alley hoping to hide there.

The young man stopped when he thought to be sufficiently hidden. The alley where he was reeked of alcohol, trash and other things that Steven preferred not to think about for the moment. It was obviously the kind of alley used by the restaurants and shops for their trash and old boxes. Steven put down his bag and tried to catch his breath, without his nose. His lack of endurance, result from a lack of exercise, was obvious.

Once his heart rate stabilized and his nose sadly accustomed to the smell, the young geek cleared his mind.

"Well ... try to stay calm and sum up."

He raised his index finger.

"Firstly, I am in a completely foreign place, that has nothing to do with England and where people clearly speak Japanese."

He held a second finger.

"Secondly, I am alone, without any idea of where Professor Mitchell or Ria, if she was involved in all this."

He concluded by raising a third finger.

"And thirdly, I'm getting hungry and thirsty."

Steven thought about what he declared and was teary-eyed.

He lamented.

"Actually, this summary is more disturbing than anything else. What could have happenned?"

He thought for a moment before concluding.

"I know! The mafiosos who came for the boxes kidnapped me and put me in a virtual reality program to keep me prisoner like in the Matrix ... No, it makes perfect sense but it does not explain the strange device of the teacher. "

Maybe it was a dream. But the teenager rejected this hypothesis. He had already dreamed, but never so clearly, strongly and consistent. Dreams were generally much stranger, it seemed to be some "logic" in his surroundings. He pinched himself to be sure. No result.

The teenager with pendants, feeling he is about to lose his calm again, did the only thing that could bring him comfort and stability. He promptly pulled out his Playstation Vita and spent a good half hour slaughtering waves of enemies on an imported Dynasty Warrior.

Steven didn't believe himself, at first, but it worked pretty well. The Japanese Beat Them All helped him to evacuated some stress while accustoming his mind to the Japanese language. The boy putted away his console and, although reluctant, decided to take a look around.

He took his heavy package and stepped cautiously into the dark little street. He looked discreetely in a sunnier one. It seemed empty of people, for now. But before completely going away, Steven saw far away, leaving him stunned, a mysterious mountain carved with four giant faces. He stammered.

"That ... What's that? Mount Rushmore? No, that face overthere is clearly not George Washington's. He look nothing like the guy in Assassin's Creed 3 either."

A strong sense of déjà vu appeared to him, again. He was certain to have seen this mountain somewhere before. He tried to remember.

'Let's see ... It was not during class or on TV ... Not in a game ... It must be on the internet.'

He was certain of this but he was not so sure. He finally put his feet on the street and thought.

'In all video games, when you arrive in a completely unknown place, the thing you're supposed to do is... to explore I guess.'

Steven had to force himself to walk in this city; Everything was so different from London or Bristol, the only two cities he knew. The place was clearly in an ancient Japanese style, laced with a touch of modernity, his hours in front of Anime and Manga could not mistake him. He found it hard not to run and hide when he saw a passerby. But he could not do it everywhere, and it would have made him very suspicious. He tried not to look too long at peoples passing by. The people, on the other hands, stared all at him with a very troublesome curiosity. Steven thought:

'I feel like a freak. They are worse than my classmates ... Well not really. They seem rather curious and surprised, not dismissive. '

He could not blame them. His clothes, which was already not very discreet at his home contrasted even more than usual with his current surroundings. And it was even more uncomfortable when he attracted the eyes of mysterious people in black tracksuit and green jacket without sleeves. Those ones sometimes regarded him with suspicion that make you shudder. Steven therefore avoided the too populated streets. But these people also reminded him of something, and they all had this symbol on the metal plates they wore. He had the unpleasant impression of missing the obvious, but his mind could not remember what it was. He was too stressed and stretched to operate his memory normally.

During his exploration, he found a flower shop. The colorful plants attracted the young geek, who found them relaxing in the chaos that became his life. He stood for a moment looking at the various white, red and blue bouquets. It reminded him of the garden of his grandmother. He was pulled out from his daydream by the hesitating voice of a young girl.

"Anou ... Sumimasen."

Steven jumped a little. He turned and saw an adorable little blonde girl, who could not be more than six or seven years old. She seemed a bit curious, as any child facing something strange and unknown. His gaze was clearly looking at Steven's clothes. The blonde ends up clearing her throat before asking him, in Japanese, in a joyful tone.

"Can I help you?"

The boy needed a moment to find out how to respond. Speaking English was not a good idea, of course. He made an effort to remember his Japanese classes. He congratulated himself inwardly. 'Fortunately, I have studied this language during the French lesson.' Steven finally answered to the child, trying, as best possible, to have no accent.

"No, thank you. I was just looking."

He growled inwardly as his pronunciation, although good, was not perfect. The girl looked back curiously. Then she asked innocently.

"Are you a foreigner?"

Steven hesitated but this point, he could not really hide it.

"Y ... Yeah, that's it."

"And where do you come from?" Questioned the little blonde.

Steven hesitated a second. He replied:

"Far far away. Beyond the mountains and seas."

The girl seemed impressed.

"Oooh. And what's your country's name?"

There, Steven felt that this could continue forever, and he did not really want to say he came from a country called United Kingdom or invent a lie. Not necessarily ashamed of lying to a child, but because, unaware of where he was, he couldn't invent a credible one. He attempted a diversion with a soft voice and gently stroking her head:

"You're adorable. But a little too curious."

The girl looked disconcerted for a moment. A little embarrassed. Then she warned with a bit of fury.

"Hey! You will mess up my hair. My mother worked hard on it."

Steven quickly removed his hand when she pouted, he could not help but find it even cuter. The geek apologized.

"Sorry little blonde ..."

The girl growled, trying to do her hair again. The look of Steven was then attracted by a shrub. A little surprised, he slowly lost his radiant face. It was a young plant but it had already several flowers drooping with a lovely pale lavender. The girl seemed intrigued by seeing his mood change. Steven looked wistfully at the shrub. Then, reforming a hint of a smile, he named the plant as if nothing happened.

"It is ... a wisteria. Isn't it?"

The girl at first surprise, then smiled again when discovering his interest for a beautiful plant. She confirmed.

"Yes that's right. You know flowers?"

Steven had a draft laugh and replied.

"No, not really. But my grandfather always had plenty on his house. I've never understood why. There was no other plants in his home."

The child explained.

"This is because they symbolize Welcoming. It mean to those who enter that they are welcome."

Steven asked with surprised eyes.

"Really?"

The blonde confirmed.

"Absolutely. The flowers has many meanings . My mother teaches me. Your grandfather loves flowers ?"

Steven said, keeping a smile on the edge of not being one.

"I doubt it. He died."

For a moment, the blonde was shocked and very embarrassed.

"Gomenasai ..." She apologized.

Steven smiled.

"You don't have to apologize. You didn't know."

This did not prevent the girl to rub her arm with shame. She looked at the wisteria and had an innocent idea as only children can have. She took a small flowers and handed it to the stranger and wished him with a big smile.

" Welcome to Konoha sir."

Steven seemed a bit surprised for a moment. But he could only melt before this angel face. Her gift and her smile touched his heart. He took the flower and placed it on one of his pendants. He gave the little girl a big smile, with a cautious pat on the head, to not destroy her hairstyle, again, to which she replied with a playful chuckle and slightly red cheeks. He thanked her.

"Thank you kid. You are lovely."

Then his mind froze, like his cheerful face was immersed in liquid azote. His eyes were more open than ever. He asked in thought.

'Wait a minute... She said what?'

The voice of a woman, who had witnessed the scene from a distance, and thus found a new topic to discuss with other mothers and her husband, began to call the girl gently:

"Ino-chan! Come back, it will be time for lunch."

"I'm coming mom." She announced.

She bowed slightly to the young stranger, admitting.

"I hope we'll see you again sir."

Steven, his mind like a crashed computer, could only shake his head twice, frozen in a smile, muttering an affirmation.

The child departed, leaving the young man with a face saying "SYSTEM ERROR". First, there was denials by humor.

'She was probably joking.' He thought.

But the girl did not seem to mock him. He tensed. Then the pure denial.

'She could not have said what I thought I heard '

But his ears, despite the hours spent listening to music, worked fine. He tensed more. After that he tried to analyze the information again.

'She said "Konoha", isn't it?'

His mind could not confirm that. The tension was at its peak. His mind could not accept that possibility. Logic and common sense could not let him accept it.

It was after a minute, petrified like a statue among the flowers, that the elastic snapped. He ran off like a rocket. Only stopping once arrived in a street where he could see the mountain with the four faces. His face contorted by an interior hilarity. And beads of sweat began to trickle down his face. He firmly fixed the sculptures in stone, wanting at all costs to detect any evidence that he was insane or dreaming.

The pieces finally automatically fall into place in his head: Konoha, Japanese, clothes, the symbol on the metal plates, this mountain ... He had seen it hundred ... No, THOUSANDS of times on the internet, on images, photos, profiles on social network, in stores, at conventions ...

The conclusion imposed by putting aside the logic. Steven speculated.

'I'm in Konoha? LikeTHE Konoha of Naruto?

He remained dazed in the middle of the street. Without saying a word.

But in his head, he shouted:

'WHAT THE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL ?!'

-xXx-

A little further, a teenage girl with purple hair trotted happily down the street, carrying a huge pile of boxes containing her meal. Smiling, she sang:

"Dan-Go Dan-Go, Oichiii Desu."

The girl's head was in the clouds. She was eager to get home to open a bottle of sake and enjoy her Dangos. She thought with great joy.

'It's too awesome! I was finally accepted into the T&amp;I department and I have a mountain of delicious Dango to celebrate! Nothing could spoil this wonderful day. '

But, distraction and blocked vision does not prevent problems, even for a kunoichi. The pile of Dango box she had was so big that she could not see properly in front of her. As she turned the corner of a street, she bumped with something that made them fall, both her and the obstacle. She rubbed her lower back before looking at what happened.

Steven took a deep breath. The shock he received almost made him have a new panic crisis. He had been so stuck in his mind he did not even know how long he was there. He looked around him and saw a girl the same age as him, with purple hair in a spiky ponytail. He was a little embarrassed when he saw that her clothes showed a lot, although the association of the skirt, meshes and coat seemed very stylish.

The two looked in each other's eyes for a moment. Both were surprised and intrigued by the other one, because of their look.

Then they realized the mess they caused around them.

The floor was littered with dozens of sticks with colored balls. Steven recognized the famous Dangos he could see in his Japanese lessons. It did not take him long to take responsibility for this disaster. The famous Dangos were now inedible, he stammered an apology.

"Ah ... I ... I'm sorry."

He stopped when he saw the dark face and trembling body of her. He thought with shame.

'Oh my God. Don't tell me she's crying ... "

The kunoichi spoke with a booming voice that worried Steven.

"Sorry? You say you're sorry? This does not change the fact that you destroyed my dinner ..."

She then grabbed obscure daggers between each of her fingers. Then she revealed a figure filled with a boundless rage and a deep desire of murder. Steven even saw the eyes of a serial killer and an aura of darkness. The ninja screamed.

"I do not care who you are ... Your death will be slow and VERY PAINFUL!"

This threat frightened the geek and made him scream very loud. Without losing a moment, he ran away like a little mouse followed closely by a rabid tiger. A chase then started between the young man and the angry kunoichi.

Steven felt his own fear, seeing the monster behind him, made him reach a speed which he would never have thought being capable of, despite the weight of his military bag. For the first time in his life, he felt that his life was really in danger. He called for help while running, but no response. He prayed inwardly.

'God, Kami, Allah, Mother Nature or anyone else ... For God's sake ... SAVE MEEEEEEE !'

A French expression: "Fear gives wings." Steven discovered that day that, instead of wings, it made survival instincts much more sharp and alert. He knew he could not run like that for too long. His lack of stamina would eventually put him in danger. He turned down on an avenue he recognized immediately, the small alley where he had hidden earlier was there. The fear of death gave him a strange idea, the kind that only a geek can have.

'There's no chance that it could works.' He reflects.

He looked for a moment behind him. The Hell's Messenger was still there, howling with rage. Eager to eat him with her demon's fangs.

'I NEED TO TRY !' He concludes.

Steven sprinted and turned, hoping to have left enough space between him and the crazy one to make his idea work, however strange it may be.

-xXx-

The Kunoichi was ready to gut him, skin him, cut him into pieces ... She wanted to use on this stupid funny guy all the stuff that led her to being accepted in the T&amp;I department. It was not a day like any other for her. None would ruin such a perfect day without paying for it. Anyone would celebrate the passing of an examination or obtaining a new job. But for her it was more than that. Much more important than anything. Ruin a perfect moment like this was unforgivable. That's why she wanted to smash him, as weirdly dressed the stranger was.

His future victim suddenly accelerated and disappeared at the corner of a small alley. She lost eye contact just some seconds. But when she entered in the dirty and dark street, filled with small bins, boxes and garbage bag, she saw nobody. Normally, she would have stopped, curious, and would try to understand. But this time, the rage blinded her completely. She did not stop more than a moment before continuing the race looking in all directions, at all intersections, like a big cats looking for the track of its prey.

Even more upset to have lost it, she continued to run at full speed, barking.

"Where are you , BASTARD ?! If I catch you, I swear you will cry more than tears!"

She went, drunk with rage, looking for the odd young man in the maze of streets of Konoha.

-xXx-

The young man had real difficulties to stand quiet. But the desire to live was a good motivation to maintain, afraid of the mad killer. He heard her for a horrible second, during which he came even to not breathe as he tried to appear non-existent.

He heard the girl with a coat going away fast. The threat she screamed made him tremble, moaning. He tensed for fear of being heard, but her footsteps seemed more and more distant. When there was nothing suspicious heard, he dared to take a look out of his hiding spot.

Steven lifted a little large cardboard box in which he was sheltered. The area seemed safe. Completely dumbfounded, the geek said with total surprise:

"I cannot believe it... The Cardboard box trick worked ..."

He expressed his thanks, tears in his eyes full of gratitude and relief.

"Lord Kojima... Lord Snake ... THANK YOU!"

He got out of the big box, while also thanking the merchants who had left their garbage in the alley.

The young boy with pendants looked around to check, once again, that the place was clear. When he was reassured once and for all, he took a deep breath, cursing the girl with coat.

"But who was that ... Psychopath? I've never been chased like this ... in real life."

Again he had tears in his eyes.

"I was more scared than in Amnesia and Resident Evil 3. Between her and Nemesis, I do not know what is worse. "

The geek calmed, adjusted his camouflage bag and walked in the streets of the city, making sure on each street to not find the enraged kunoichi again.

He watched everything around him with a different view. The first time, everything seemed curious, friendly and pretty cool. Now that he knew, though he always had trouble to accept it, that he was in a place from a manga, he thought nothing could be true. The young boy with pendants looked around to forcing himself to accept this. He thought.

'By comparing this to what I saw in all my games, manga and anime, it only remains three possibilities. The dream, the virtual world and the inter-dimensional travel'

Each of these assumptions were perfectly plausible in his geek mind. But he never imagined he could finish in a situation like in his favorite passions. He had dreamed, innocently, that kind of things before, as any fan have. But to imagining it and living it were two different things.

Some might be undoubtedly pleased that kind of thing happened to them, especially those who have nothing. The others would be completely panicking and desperate to find themselves far from their family, their friends, their routine... In short, their lives.

But Steven, he felt a little in between. Gradually realizing all the implications of this "Voyage", he began, rather than panic, to have a heavy heart. He thought of the possibility to be permanently stuck in this world of which he knew nothing. This idea clasped his heart for a moment. The image of his mother came to his mind, he wanted to sigh. Then it was that of his father. There, he did not feel so much. He would miss his room for sure.

He preferred to push out this thoughts from his mind as far as possible. He thought about the machine of Professor Mitchell. He did not seem to have used it for the first time. He did not know what it was, or what link there was between the cube and the teacher. Had he discovered it? Had he invented it? Steven knew he was intelligent, but at this point? What was certain is that this device should be able to bring him back to England. It does not thought about the fact that the teacher has perhaps not land in the same world, he could not know where he was, or, by touching this gadget, he could have done something serious enough to lose them both.

Steven did not think either about how he felt in that place. For now, his mind needed the hope of return. Or, more accurately, the illusion he had a choice between here and his home. It was too radical of a change of environment for its taste and feeling to matter. Although he did not seemed to panic or depress. In the eyes of curious passersby, he rather lost in his thoughts.

The young man walked for a long time, until the sun begun to set. Steven found himself in a small park. The kind where people walk around with their children.

With his mind still elsewhere, he finally put his pack on the ground and sit heavily on a bench, almost automatically, his eyes closed facing the sky. He collapsed on the furniture of the park, tired, hungry, thirsty and depressed. He wasn't only more advanced than when he woke up, but he did not know what to do now. He did not know where was his teacher and even where he would sleep. Maybe he could return in the hidden place where he had awakened. He had a sleeping bag and game consoles. Enough to have a livable night.

'I probably will be the poshest tramp in the world ... in this world.' He thought with a little humor.

He opened his eyes to see the orange sky, crossed by slime cottony clouds.

Steven heard a small sound to his right. He resumed his mind and turned his head, curious, in that direction. His eye fell on a little boy. The geek asked in his head.

'Still a child? And a blond one? There is more blond than I can imagine or do I attract them? '

The young geek went back straight and looked at the cute little boy. His blue eyes like a perfect sky, or pure sea, were quite mesmerizing and full of curiosity, most likely about Steven. His blond spiky hairs and funny marks on the cheeks, like cat mustaches, roused Steven's memory. This time, he made an effort to remember, to not feel stupid again.

The answer came quickly and, with his own astonishment, did not really surprised him. He considered.

'It was inevitable that this would happens if I am in Konoha. At some point.'

He asked the little boy, a little hesitantly.

"You're ... Uzumaki Naruto. Isn't it?"

The child seemed surprised. And he moved away a little bit with a worried face. Steven, intrigued, took a relaxed pose, his elbows on the bench. Then he smiled and joked.

"You do not have to be afraid. I know I look very weird, but I will not eat you."

The child did not relax. Steven feared that he said something stupid or scary, in one way or another. He asked, trying to joke.

"Did I made a mistake?"

The little blond, hesitantly and without looking directly in the eyes, finally answered with a low voice.

"No ... It's me."

Steven thought he was very sluggish for a five or six years old boy.

"You're a stranger?" Asked the child.

Geek groused internally 'How many times will they ask me this?' before answering.

"Yes I am. I come from a far far far away country. So far that you cannot imagine it."

Before to say anything else, Steven thought that, maybe, he should move away from the hero of the story.

This was a real headache for the young geek: If he chats with Naruto, will he changes something in the frame of the story? He did not know what would happen after all, because he didn't read the manga. Were the story well-fixed, as a form of destiny? In which case, whatever he does will not change anything. But perhaps it was a mistake to think that. Since this would be considered that it was entering into a story, not a world apart. And he had no way to have an answer for that. The three assumptions, and some unconscious, clashed in the brain's geek.

Steven did not like to complicate things. He had always rejected the complex problems in his life, at least those of the real world. This time, he thought that any of his actions could, perhaps, have serious consequences. It was a completely new weight on his shoulders, a too heavy one. He concludes.

'I can't be sure, I'd better get away from him. At least until I know more. Everything should go "as it is" to him. He is the hero after all. '

He tried something that could potentially stop the discussion and allow him to move away from the boy before making any mistake. He said sweetly.

"It's getting late you know little one. You should go home before your parents get worried."

The child looked even more sullen. Steven did not understand immediately.

"What ?" He asked.

The child replied with a heavy voice.

"I ... do not have parents."

The geek slapped himself mentally. He, who wanted to avoid to make a mistake, had blundered. He was angry, thinking how logic but sad it seemed.

'The authors usually give their main characters a difficult childhood. This make the characters more interesting. Naruto might not be an exception. What an idiot ... I have to find something else to say. '

Steven spoke again, trying to correct his mistake.

"What about your friends? You must have one or two."

Naruto replied:

"... I do not."

Steven almost wanted to condemn himself to death. He blundered again. The geek started to panic. The child seemed about to cry. Panicking, he tried once again.

"Come on, there must be someone who take care of you."

Naruto raised his head, thinking. Then a smile formed on his face and he told.

"Well ... there's the Hokage. He is nice with me. He offers me Ramen sometimes ..."

The young with pendants relaxed. He had more or less fixed his mistake. The blond boy continued.

"Yesterday, for example, it was my birthday, the 10th of October. This was also the day of the festival to celebrate the victory of the Fourth Hokage on Kyubii. I do not know why but everyone is nastier than usual with me that day. They call me "demon". There even was drunk peoples who wanted to send a bottle on me. "

'Error NOT repaired!' Steven commented in thought.

Naruto looked sadder than before. Looking at the child, Steven knew why there was so much Fanfiction about him, he looked like a good boy who did not deserve loneliness. He understood quite well what this boy feels. What he did not understand was why people called him "demon". He seemed too nice to hurt anyone but himself. And, as a Shonen hero, he should be a good person. Normally, Steven would have made dozens of different theories, many things stranger than the others, but he did not want to do that now.

"... Sorry." Declared the geek.

That was all he could do for now. Naruto did not flinch. The geek was ashamed to have hurt him. It was also quite new to him. Then he had one last idea, which took precedence over any other consideration or concern. One that was more likely to work.

He grabbed his backpack next to him and opened it. With a curious gaze of the little hero, Steven reached into his stuffs. Naruto seemed very intrigued by the strange big and shiny objects that he could see inside. Finally, the geek pulled out a small box made of gray metal.

When he opened it, he revealed a staggering collection with many kind of pendants, of metal or wood, of all forms. Animals, watches, symbols, medieval mini-weapons. Their metal shone slightly in the dusk sun. The boy rummaged in his bazaar a few seconds before leaving a small silver circle with a five-pointed star and five small junk crystals as blue as the sky, like Naruto's eyes.

The geek looked at the jewel for a moment before closing the box, storing it and then handed the pendant to the blond one, who is a little disconcerted. The geek said cheerfully.

"Consider this as a late birthday present, and a present to apologize for reminding you sad thoughts."

Naruto seemed completely lost and bewildered. No one ever gave him a gift like that, except the Hokage. Much more astonishing, no one apologized for having made him sad. Confused, the child could only ask:

"Wha ... What is it?"

Steven explained as a teacher.

"It's a pentacle. A symbol that, I think, looks like you. Everybody declares it's something bad, but they do not look at it properly. When we know it, we realize it is something very beneficial and powerful. And the small stones are the same color as your eyes. "

Naruto did not know what to say. But he still questioned the stranger.

"How can you be so sure of what you're saying?"

Steven realized that the child was referring to his opinion about him. The geek cursed himself for having spoken without thinking. He replied.

"I have a very good intuition."

Then he tied the pendant around Naruto's neck, adjusting it so that it was near his heart.

The little blond stared at the jewel between his fingers, then looked up at the stranger who smiled sympathetically. He had not seen that look often. The boy grinned and declared.

"Thank you sir. You are weird but I like you."

Steven thought.

'I absolutely do not know how to react to that.'

A deep growl sounded. Naruto's stomach actually. He rose from the bench speaking.

"I have to go. I'm hungry. Hopefully we'll meet again sir ..."

Naruto stopped, he did not know the name of the stranger. Steven realized what was bothering him and anticipated his question.

"My name is Steven Ryan."

The child looked even more confused. The geek had mentioned his name in English and none of them knew how to do it in Japanese. Without thinking, Steven told him.

"Call me as you want."

The child tried to pronounce the name of the teenager with various Japanese sounds. It was a pretty funny show for the geek, but also very embarrassing.

"Su-Ti-Bu ... Ra-Ya-No ... Rai-A-No ... Ok, I'll call you Rai-San."

Steven was disoriented.

'Now I do not know if I have found it annoying or Super Cool.'

Naruto waved one last time to Rai-san and went, disappearing at a corner of the park near the bench.

The young geek sighed. For a second, he had the unpleasant feeling that perhaps he did a mistake because of his emotions. But he had no time to think more because he heard a cold voice a little further.

"Do not move, Demon."

Steven was surprised. Who was it ? Was he talking about Naruto? It was precisely the trembling voice of the little blond who replied.

"Wh ... What do you want?"

The caller did not answered immediately. This silence worried Steven, who stood up and hidden behind a tree at the corner where Naruto had gone. Steven discovered a man, in dark and dirty green kimono, with eyes full of hatred. In the absence of the headband, the teenager assumed he was one of the famous civilians who hated Naruto. He declared with deep disgust.

"You will not tarnish this village by your presence now."

Steven was afraid at that. What did he have in mind? The man in green then declared.

"Today demon, you will die once and for all."

The next moment, the civil took an object from inside his kimono. A large and long metal object that Steven recognized. But he could not accept it, because it was beyond the logic of this world.

-xXx-

Groans could be heard at the entrance of the park. A girl in a trench coat was beginning to feel tired to run everywhere. She couldn't believe she lost someone so "visible". Unless he is a very powerful ninja, she did not see how he could have escaped. She then looked absolutely everywhere, all over Konoha. She was about to give up, the evening had nearly fallen, but then she saw in front of her the source of all her rage. She thought.

'Ah! Here he is! This time he will not escape me! '

She paused to discover that he seemed to be hiding behind a tree, looking at something with a shocked face. She turned her head and saw a child and a civilian in green kimono. She knew who was the little blond although all she saw was his back. She had sometimes seen him walking the streets. The civilian uttered a threat and took something shiny out of his clothing. Something reflecting the last rays of the sun, preventing a clear distinction of what it was. The man in green pointed the object on the child with some hatred about to be satisfied.

Then she saw the young man with pendants running.

-xXx-

Time seemed to freeze for the teenager. What he had in front of him cut off his breathing, it could not exist in this place.

The civilian was holding the object that was paralyzing Steven with fear, for a moment that seemed infinite. The man in green savored this moment and the surprised eyes of the little blond. The child not knowing what he had before his eyes. One clear thought unraveled the tangled mind of the young with pendants:

'He'll kill Naruto!'

The geek's body move on its own. He ran to the civil shouting.

"Watch out!"

The civilian was surprised but didn't have time to make any gesture. The geek jumped on him and brought him down to the ground. Then the young man smashed him in the face once. The pain of this action was completely new to him, made him hold his hand lamenting. He felt like the bones of his fingers was about to break in pieces. But the attacker began to struggle, and Steven replied immediately by hitting back with his other hand.

Taking advantage of the confusion and pain of his opponent, Steven grabbed the metal object and hid it in a pocket of his jeans. the object was too big, but his wolf tee-shirt, very wide, covered what would have exceeded.

Steven got up and walked away from the civilian, without losing sight of him, also making Naruto moving back, who looked completely lost.

He almost ran away with the child when a new voice, masculine and authoritative, asked:

"What 's happening here?"

Steven looked up and saw a ninja wearing a strange mask looking like some sort of dog. The warrior watched, a kunai in his hand. The man with silver hairs reminded something to Steven, but he didn't have time to think about it.

"Who are you?" Steven asked, trembling.

The masked ninja explained with force.

"I am the one who ask the questions. Just know that I'm the guardian of this child."

Steven said to justified:

"This man threatened him."

Naruto could not say anything, he was too shocked at what happened.

"That's true." Confirmed a voice behind Steven.

He turned and saw the girl with purple hairs who scared him so much earlier. He normally would have cared, but the fact that she confirmed what he told surprised and relaxed him. She continued her testimony.

"He clearly said he was going to kill that brat. And I'm sure you've heard it too."

The masked man did not move and remained silent for a moment. He ended this by asking Steven.

"Who are you?"

The trench coat girl looked at the geek, eager to know his identity. The young man with pendants needed to make a great effort to regain his composure and replied.

"Just ... Just a stranger. I was just passing by this town."

Naruto's protector did nothing. Steven doubted that it was enough but, for some reason, the masked man did not insist. The ninja looked down at the civilian. The man in green seemed frightened because he knew what was going to happen to him.

The protector grabbed the civilian and did an arm lock to him. He threw the man to the girl with purple hairs, who caught him and put her kunai to his throat. The masked man commanded to the girl.

"Bring him to the Hokage, he will know what to do."

She agreed with a nod before the masked ninja disappears in a cloud of smoke.

Steven did not have the time to marvel about that. He turned his head toward the girl, who addressed him suspiciously.

"I give you some advice. Do not stay too long in this town."

"I'll ... do my best." Steven stammered.

She started to go Naruto's abuser when, suddenly, she turned to the young man with pendants, telling him:

"And you owe me a mountain of Dangos. You gonna pay me isn't it?"

Steven replied automatically.

"I would have without problem... if I had some money."

The kunoichi sighed and pleaded him:

"Then just... do not cross my path ever again."

Steven watched the kunoichi going away until she disappeared on another street.

He realized then that the little blond was still at his side. He still seemed shocked, but a little better than before. Steven told him, going to his bag.

"You should really go home this time."

When the geek took his backpack, the child asked him.

"Where are you going?"

Steven looked at the child and said sincerely, too mentally exhausted to invent a lie.

"... I do not know."

The little blond questioned.

"You do not know where to sleep?"

Steven expressed.

"I just arrived in town."

"And you do not have money."

The geek sighed, remembering this detail. Naruto offered him falteringly, playing with his fingers.

"... You can sleep at my apartment if you want. Just for one night."

Steven turned his astonished gaze to the child. Seeing his look, the geek realized it was more a demand than a proposition. The little blonde must be frightened by what just happened. Someone tried to took his life after all. He needed the presence of his savior. Steven would have preferred to reject his proposal, but he realized that, not only it was that or sleep outside, but also that he did not have the heart to do that.

"Are you sure?" Questioned the geek.

Naruto confirmed.

"Yes. I didn't understand everything but ... I understood that you saved my life. It's the least I can do.".

Steven did not know what to say. But obviously, he had more to gain by accepting the offer than refusing it. Tired by all this strange day, Steven just told him, without thinking to much.

"I'll follow you then."

The child smiled and showed him the way.

The young man with pendants merely followed. He was completely disoriented. In less than a day, he discovered he was in a world from a manga, he was chased by a mad girl, he met a future hero and saved his life from something even more strange.

The young geek touched the object in his pocket. The weapon he confiscated from the civilian full of hate. He would not believe what he had in his pocket, it was illogical and horrible. But after all that happened to him, he had no real choice but to accept the unbelievable. He turned his eyes to the metallic object and thought, puzzled and worried:

'I've never read or seen this series... But I'm sure at 100% that there is no GUNS in Naruto.'

* * *

Again thank you everyone. :-)

Hope to see you for the third chapter. If you have any criticism, recommendation, question or request. Feel free to ask me by message or review. ;-)

Here are the translations:

MATE Akamaru = Wait Akamaru

Nani? = What?

Anou ... Sumimasen = sorry.

Gomenasai = I'm sorry

References:

Lord of the rings, Dynasty Warriors, Assassin's Creed 3, Death Note, Metal Gear Solid, Amnesia: The dark Descent, Resident evil 3 : Nemesis


	3. Chapter 3

Firstly, I want to thank the author of my very first review and all those who have decided to follow my Fanfiction: Lunamyx Voldy, viday, adrienb45, Christel300595, Tenshi0 and Lina Lemon.

I'm sorry for the wait but, simply put, I had some problems, little time and a high fever when I had a little T-T. But here's the new chapter, its length also explains why I did not put it out earlier. We hope the result will please you even more. Let's go. ;-)

I remind that I'm not English so I beg your pardon if my English translation is bad. T-T Thank you.

* * *

Chapter 3:

_Steven walked into a corridor of concrete walls with peeling paint, passing in front of the prison doors of empty cells. He went downstairs and came into the kitchen. A robot with a human, female form was cooking in a pan that felt nothing. The teenager did not stop, nor even glanced at the machine. He did not hear her when she says that the meal would be ready soon. He simply took a can of iced tea in a fridge filled only, and forever, with this drink._

_He saw an armada of ships burning in a sea of green flames._

_At the bottom of the stairs, he heard a very stirring jazz music. An old record had started in the living room. It was like a trigger in Steven's mind, a weight dropped suddenly on him. Tears began running down his cheeks. He began to leap up the stairs. He was running away from the music, covering his ears. He crossed the hall to a wooden door with a sign "Danger Zone Steven: Do Not Enter!." He opened the door without hesitation and was blinded by a strong light. _

_He saw an angel of death stealing a black stone._

_Then everything stopped, as if someone had pressed the switch._

* * *

The sun began to attack Steven. The young man slowly opened his eyes. The sun's rays were hurting them. The teenager mechanically sat on his sleeping bag, his mind completely confused by the mists of awakening. He seemed to had a terrible nightmare, he had only a few snippets of memory, thankfully. He grabbed his MyPhone Zeta to see the time. It was seven in the morning. Steven had set his watch last night, looking at the clock on the wall of the apartment.

He was still sleepy, but when the sun, the worst enemies of geek after school, was intervening, the battle was already lost.

In his confused mind, Steven thought, briefly, that his day in Konoha was only a long and strange dream. But he saw where he was and who was sleeping in the bed next to him. His half-hope disappeared in no time. He stood there for a moment, doing nothing, staring into space.

Not wishing to wake the little blonde who crumpled up his coverage, Steven got up silently. He took out his MP3 from his bag and went quietly to the balcony, leaning on the railing. His eyes looked the village, his digital music player in the ears, listening to some Hans Zimmer's music. His mind had, once again, to convince himself about where he was right now. Steven needed a quiet time to wake up and put some order in his head. Unaware he was under surveillance.

He spend half an hour sitting there, looking at the city. His mind was galvanized by the dramatic music in his ears. He thought about all the things he might never see now. But, strangely, except for a few games he really wanted to play, there was really few things that he was saddened by. He did not even have tears in his eyes. He did not feel that he would miss anyone. Except for his mother, whose absence gave him a pang.

Nevertheless, he had to continue to believe he could go to London one day, finding the teacher and the strange cubic gadget. Otherwise he felt his spirit would collapse from panic.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he jumped when the little blonde touched his shoulder. He did not feel it coming at all.

"Are you okay?" Asked Naruto innocently.

Steven removed his earphones. Then he reassured him, stroking his head. "Yes I am. I have difficulty waking up, that's all."

The little blond seemed curious seeing the two white cables that his guest had put in his ears. Steven put them away and asked, before the child questioned about it, if he had something to eat.

The child ran to his small kitchen. Steven got up, glanced one last time at the city, now sunny, then joined the small blonde. The geek could not help but notice that the apartment was in an incredible mess. The ground was littered with rollers, clothes and even ramen boxes. It reminded him a little about his own room in London. The child offered him one of his boxes. Steven, very reluctant to eat this, told with a voice as gentle as possible.

"Um ... You know ... Noodle for breakfast ... It's not the best food." The child replied with a curious air, as if what he has said made no sense.

"But ramen is the best dish in the world."

"It looks like he has never tasted a pizza with pepperoni and cheese ... poor child." Steven thought with a sigh.

Understanding it was the best he would have, and not wanting to sadden Naruto again, Steven accepted the box of ramen, smiling. They put hot water in their instant meals and sat at the table, waiting. Naruto looked at the geek with small eyes and an innocent smile. He was still wearing the pentacle he received from Steven yesterday.

"He didn't sleep with it, did he?" Steven wondered privately.

Even he never slept with his pendants.

Steven did not know what to say or do. He avoided the best he could to look at the child's eyes. He hoped that the little blond remain calm, but his prayers were not heard. The child questioned him, hesitantly.

"Rai-san ... Where do you come from?"

Steven, even though he expected to hear that, was getting fed up with this kind of question. He gave him another bogus answer.

"From a very far far away country."

Naruto insisted. "Yes, but how is it? What's its name?"

Exactly the kind of question that Steven wanted to avoid. The geek tried a feint by saying softly.

"You're really curious."

Naruto seemed embarrassed. He lost his smile and looked at his feet. Steven understood he took this as a criticsm, a form of rejection. Steven was angry at himself again. He hesitated between talk to him, not really knowing what to say, and remain silent. In the second case, the child would remain a little sad but Steven would not take the risk of saying too much about the place where he come from. The geek looked at Naruto's eyes and, very reluctant, could not help trying to fix his new mistakes.

"Uh ... Do not take it the wrong way. This is not a bad thing."

Naruto looked back at Steven with surprised eyes. Then he smiled and asked to the geek with energy. "So it does not bother you that I ask you things?"

The English teenager wept inwardly. 'Oops! I trapped myself.'

Steven said, uncomfortable, with a drop on his forehead. "No ... Not really."

The child was enthusiastic.

"That's cool! I do not have many people to talk to."

Steven understood why he apparently would not escape to this innocent interrogation. Naruto must have felt very lonely. He seemed like the archetypal hero with a lonely childhood, ready to attach to anyone who would be kind enough to speak to him. Steven could understand that.

But now, Steven felt bad about lying to him. Since he was not going to tell Naruto that he came from another world, or that in this one, he was the hero of a world-famous fiction. No need to be a genius to understand that he would not believe it. And anyway, he doubted that it would be good for the child's ego.

Naruto began to talk with Steven. The geek had trouble finding plausible answers. He was forced to remain very vague, saying that he was coming from a country named Britannia.

When Naruto asked him what had brought him to Konoha, the geek had even more difficulties to answer. The teenager told the most simple excuses, praying for it to work. He explained that he wanted to see the world, to travel, and Konoha was on his way. Naruto seemed to believe that lie easily.

But when the child wanted to know what was in Steven's bag, and what he had in the ears earlier. The geek had no choice but to pretend it was private and that nobody ask about that kind of things.

When they finished their ramen, the little blond asked details to Steven about his country. Having grown among London's concrete and smoke, Steven had to do an effort of imagination to pretend that it was a country full of beautiful forests, great rivers and mainly inhabited by crows.

Fearing the insistence of the little blond, Steven tried to ask him politely if he hadn't planned things this morning. To his relief, Naruto remembered that he had planned to train. Easily recalling the synopsis of the manga, Steven insisted that he must go, pretending not wanting to prevent him to become stronger.

Naruto replied. "But I still want to discuss."

Steven spoke with a kind franchise that surprised him afterwards.

"Do not act as a child. If you want to become Hokage, you have to train yourself every day. We can talk later, but the effort, it's now or never. So Hurry Up!"

The child seemed surprised. He asked Steven. "How do you know I want to be Hokage?"

'DAMN IT!' Steven smashed himself mentally. 'What an idiot! He didn't tell me this detail.'

The teenager tried to explain quickly, completely panicked.

"Well ... All kids want to be a great ninja isn't it? And there is no stronger ninja than the Hokage isn't it?"

Naruto hesitated, worrying the geek. But the boy said.

"It's true. That makes sense."

The geek relaxed. The child ran to his room and dressed, before going through the door of his apartment, Naruto asked on a worried tone.

"You will be here when I return?"

The English boy hesitated. He did not really want to stay here all day, but he had no other places to land. He assured Naruto to be there at seven o'clock. The child smiled and went waving at the geek. This one remained in his chair without moving. He did not know what to do now.

The geek liked to be quiet and to think again.

But he already had a moment like this on the balcony, and he did not feel that this changed anything. He still had no idea what happened to him, where the teacher was or how he could return home. He thoughts he maybe should just pray for a TARDIS to come to take him away from here. It might be unrealistic to believe that the Doctor of a sci-fi series would help him getting home. But after his experiences, Steven felt that he should question the definition of 'Reality' itself.

The teenager then searched in his bag, looking for a t-shirt. He needed a shower. And seizing one of his clothing, he saw the object that frightened him yesterday. The thing that should not even be imaginable in this place. Hidden under the coat, Steven found the gun that had nearly killed Naruto. A large and bright Colt Python.

The geek was not a gun expert, but he had seen this one in the first Resident Evil. But between a set of polygons and a cold objects bigger than his two fists together, the difference was huge for Steven. He was very frightened.

He couldn't touch it. It was as if the object were radioactive, in addition to not possibly exist. Fear and excitement mingled with a delicious confusion because it was engraved on the weapon: "Made in U.S.A".

This meant that it necessarily came from his world, it was disturbing to say that an object as deadly could bring a real boost of hope. Especially since Steven had discovered that neither he nor Naruto had really been in danger, the villager had forgotten to take off the security of the weapon. Steven did not take it, to not feel uncomfortable.

He dropped another garment on the horrible object and went to the shower with a pendant in the shape of a scorpion, another pentacle, a mini shield with a dragon and a T-shirt with a very stylized samurai. Steven thought.

'Perhaps with this I will go unnoticed. You can always dream.'

* * *

It was past noon and Steven walked the streets with his earphones. He had eaten another Naruto's box of instant ramen. He had been cogitated, or rather depressed all morning. He found thousands of scenarios that could explain what the Professor's cube was and how he could have found it. But he still not have any concrete answer. He had the feeling of having lost a lot of time, and felt guilty for it. Steven was really beginning to despair. After his meal, he thought a small stroll, listening to Nirvana, would help him get better. It didn't.

The geek had almost listened their entire discography without realizing it, lost in melancholic thoughts. He paid no attention to the passers-by he met, or their curious stares. His new suit had visibly changed nothing, and the white cables he had in the ears did not help. His music did not made him allow him to notice that he was being followed.

Then Steven arrived in a street where a good smell tickled his nostrils.

Steven stopped in front of the shop from which escaped the enticing fragrance. He recognized the scent of ramen, but he didn't immediately recognized it because it was a much more appetizing aroma than the one he smelled earlier. The last kanji in the name of the restaurant gave a hard time to the Steven's memory, but he understood that it was named "Ramen Ichiraku."

The geek would have loved to take a look inside, but it would not have made sense since he had already eaten and he had not any money. He then turned around to return to his stroll with "Come as you are" from Nirvana in the ears.

But he was interrupted by a youthful voice that even his song couldn't cover. A girl screamed.

"WHAT RUBBISH!"

The next moment, Steven received a blow on the head and felt a warm liquid all over his upper body, and some sticky things flowing under his shirt.

The geek froze with surprise and disgust for a while before removing the object he had on his head, discovering it was a bowl. It did not take him long to understand what happened. Someone had thrown a bowl of ramen on him.

Steven took off his earphones, perceiving the voice of an angry old man in the restaurant. The teenager entered, the bowl in his hand, then found a satisfactory situation, but that he felt ashamed to stop. A little girl in Chinese red dress, with two buns, was scolded by an old cook. This one was lecturing her as if she had committed an unforgivable heresy. But he stopped his sermon seeing the odd teenager clothes, covered with soup and noodles. The next moment, the girl turned her intrigued face, with bright red cheeks, to him.

They stood for a moment without saying a word, firstly because they had never seen someone so strangely dressed, secondly because they did not know what to say. It's the geek who tried something. He cleared his throat and, showing the dish in his hand, asked hesitantly.

"Uh ... Is this bowl yours?"

The old man realized what happened. He was deeply shocked and bowed apologetically behind his stand.

"Gomenasai!"

Steven was very embarrassed.

"It's... It's okay. No need to apologize. It is not you who launched this ramen is it?"

The keeper replied, still inclined.

"But it's one of my dishes that made your clothes dirty!"

He got up and looked angrily the child that he scolded. He told her sternly.

"Tenten-chan, Apologize to this man immediately."

She descended from her chair and bowed to Steven. With a small voice, she begged the geek's forgiveness. The boy sensed something was wrong with this child. He looked at her little face and saw that her eyes were red. She had cried.

But he remembered that he had been chased by a monster the last time he thought that he saw a crying girl. Steven stepped back, inquisitive, and took a poor martial arts posture, looking more like a bad tightrope walker. Steven asked the girl.

"Are you crying or are you angry?"

The child sulked. She denied it with an edgy, but adorable, look.

"... I'm not angry. And I did not cry."

Steven relaxed, understanding that she wouldn't harm him. He got back to a normal posture and accepted the apologies of the little girl. He spoke to the cook.

"Excuse me but ... Do you have a towel?"

The old man jumped, embarrassed, and said, bowing again.

"Of course. Wait a second."

The cook ran to his back room, leaving Steven and Tenten alone. Steven, who had had enough of staying embarrassed to say a word, asked her to sit down. She did so in the second. Steven tried to recall if he had heard about a Naruto's character named Tenten. He only remembered some vague comments, during conventions and on the internet, describing her as "underrated" or "underused". This did not help at all.

The cook came back with a towel which Steven used rubbing his head as much as possible. The old man took the opportunity to ask him the same question almost everyone asked him. Steven told him his best lie. He was a young man eager to travel coming from a land across the seas. The cook seemed to accept this story, as Naruto before him.

But after rubbing hard with the towel, Steven had to accept the fact that he would surely smell like ramen until his next shower. The geek looked at the girl who gave him this new perfume and realized she was not feeling good. He could not be angry against a child who was rubbing her eyes, sniffling. Steven sighed, cursing his compassion, and finally asked her gently.

"What's the matter little girl ? Are you crying because you've been scolded?"

The girl replied eagerly.

"Of course not. And I do not cry."

Steven raised the eyes to heaven before continuing. "Can you tell me, at least, why you threw a bowl of Ramen on my head?"

"Gomenasai" Screamed again the cook, surprising Steven.

The girl spoke with a slight but clear sense of shame. "Sorry. I wanted to throw it on nobody. I was angry."

Steven continued.

"Against whom or what?"

"Against the noodles." Tenten said. "I have found nothing inside."

The stranger was really confused. He turned his gaze to the cook with the hope of an answer. But he responded to him with a shrug of the shoulders, showing that he was as lost as the geek. He continued.

"And ... What did you hoped to find?"

"A solution to help my dad."

Now, Steven didn't understand at all. He thought it was, perhaps, one of those manga characters a bit silly but endearing. But he saw that she was sad. So he did not laugh at her, even internally. He asked, smiling.

"Can you explain me everything from the beginning?"

Tenten looked at him with her little red eyes, not knowing if she could tell this to a stranger. Her mother had told her to not talk to strangers. But he seemed nice, and despite her young age, she was ashamed because of the ramen incident. She gave him a small nod of approval and began her story.

"This morning I woke up like every day. But when I went down to the kitchen to get my breakfast, I saw that shinobis were talking to my dad and my mom. And they did not seem happy at all. My dad told them he was in his forge yesterday in the evening and my mom said it was true. Afterwards, the shinobis left but my parents refused to tell me what they wanted. So I ate my miso soup and went to play. But not long after, the ninjas came back and they asked to speak to my parents. I listened to them in secret, mom says it's not good but I can't refrain. I did not understand everything, they used a lot of complicated words, but I understood they believe that my dad was not in his forge. It's our mean neighbour who said it. But he is really mean, then it's obviously not true! I told to the ninjas that my dad was too nice to lie, but they did not listen. It seems that if my dad do not say what he was doing that night, they'll have to rummage in his head. I didn't understood how, but if they do it, my dad he will go to prison for a very long time. And I don't want my daddy to leave. I asked the neighbour to tell the truth but he told me that my dad was meaner than I thought. So I decided to make divination to find a way to help, as my Grandma teaches me. I looked at the tea leaves at the bottom of the cup and they said "Digging" and "noodles"... I guess. "

When Tenten finished, Steven did not know if he should be intrigued or stuns. His mind decided to start with bewilderment.

He thought, half-horrified and with a frozen face. "She tried to save the freedom of her father with NOODLES?!"

Then he relaxed and realized that she had found herself embroiled into something big, a real police case. But he had still not fully grasped everything, he asked for clarifications to the old man, who had heard the story with surprise and pity for the child.

"Excuse me." Called out Steven . "What is your name?"

The cook replied. "My name is Teuchi."

"I'm not from Konoha Teuchi-san." Reminded the geek. "Do you know why his father has problems?"

The old man thought for a moment. "I do not know him well." Teuchi confessed. "It's not one of my regulars. His family, the Hasaki, prefers the spring rolls from the restaurant at the other side of the town."

"Spring rolls is Super Good!" Tenten exclaimed.

Teuchi continued as if nothing happened. "But if the shinobis are interrogating his father, the case must be serious."

Steven then asked what Tenten meant by "to rummage in his head." Teuchi, who was a sociable person, explained him without problem.

"Here in Konoha, we have a ninja clan with a special technique that permit to read other's mind. But if anyone compels the law enforcements to use this technique, then this is noted in his police record and if they have lied before, he is considered untrustworthy. This is disgrace. And it means a six months prison sentence at least, I think."

Steven understood that this problem was a serious one. He was not surprised to hear that ninjas were capable of something like this. He had read enough to know what amazing things Shonen's heroes were able to do. The geek looked at the little girl, whose sadness was more visible than ever. He could not stand the silence, so he asked her the first question that came to his mind.

"Why is your father in difficulty?"

Tenten reacted violently. "I don't know! There's no reason! He is a nice guy, not a criminal!"

The little girl began to cry. The teenager treated himself internally a fool. He clearly was unlucky with children. He felt ashamed. Teuchi felt compassion for the child. The geek felt responsible for her grief; he also felt obliged to repair his mistake, as he had done for Naruto.

Steven then asked with kindness, driven by guilt.

"Excuse me little girl. Can I do something to help you?"

The child slowly calmed, raising her misted eyes abroad. She wiped her face and asked, hesitantly.

"Anything?"

"Anything." Steven confirmed with a smile.

"Can ... Can you help me to save my dad?"

Steven thought.

'Anything EXCEPT that!'

Teuchi tried to call out the girl, but he himself did not know what to say. Steven would tell the child what he thought but stopped when he saw her face. Her eyes seemed filled with hope and begging for help, as if he were his last chance. Steven knew he should not meddle with such a story. He attempted a diversion for not respond immediately to her petition.

"You seems to like him very much. What's his job?"

At least Tenten smiled. She declared, still looking at him.

"My dad is a blacksmith. He is the best in the entire world and my mom sells what he makes. The entire city come to buy or repair things. Before he was a very strong ninja, except that his leg was injured so he had to stop to be a blacksmith. But he still takes a lot of time to play with me and later he will teach me everything he knows to make me strong when I will go to the ninja academy. He is so cool."

Once again, Steven felt that he had dug his own grave. It was the second time that day. He thought for a second.

'If my life becomes a permanent rerun, I'm going to jump from a bridge. There's nothing worse than reruns.'

The look of the little girl was even more filled with hope. Trying to change the subject, Steven made her rather believe that he was interested in what she had requested. He cursed himself. He felt ready to run away, but the more he looked to the child, the more he envied her. She loved and respected her father honestly, more than anything else. He would like to be like her. He prevaricated.

"Listen little girl ... I do not think I can do anything for you. I'm just a traveller, and still pretty lost ..."

He stopped seeing the child losing her smile. She was about to cry again. It was too much for the geek. To refuse the request of a crying child seemed almost criminal to him. Steven finally sighed. "But I will help you a little bit."

The child made a huge smile and thanked Steven fidgeting on her chair. Teuchi looked stunned. The cook asked, whispering to the stranger.

"Sir ... What are you talking about?"

The geek replied softly at him. "I don't really have a choice. Did you see how she looked at me? How could I refuse her anything?"

Teuchi wanted to tell him something else, but after a long hesitation, he could not do anything except agree. He confessed.

"I understand. I have a daughter. I know how it is. But what will you do then?"

There, Steven was slow to respond. He thought a moment, watching the intrigued cook and girl, who tremendously stressed him. He had no idea how to help Tenten's father, so he did what he does the best: To compare the situation to stories he already read or saw. He thought.

'If I remember well the hundreds of hours I spend in front of the TV series, Anime and video games of investigation ... The first logical thing to do is to question the witnesses.'

There was only one apparently, the neighbours of the Tenten's family. The geek rose from his chair and began to leave the restaurant.

He asked.

"Well, let's go then. Can you take me to your neighbour? The mean one?"

Tenten stood up, smiling, and began to run. Steven took one last glance at the cook, greeting him and then began to follow the girl.

Teuchi saw them leave with a hint of concern. Tenten was alone with a stranger, and she hoped that he solves the problems of his father. He feared that this story could only end badly. He would have probably be less worried if he knew that a person with a cat mask was following the young man closely.

* * *

Steven walked behind Tenten with his hands in the pockets. He still did not know what he could do to help her and her father. He even thought about telling her how much it was ridiculous. But when he saw this child and her determination, he lost that desire.

The dynamic duo finally arrived near a beautiful house with a very high fireplace.

"It must be the forge." Steven deducted.

The sign "Residence of Hasaki family" confirmed his idea.

The child took the geek to the house in front of hers. When they were facing the door, the little girl said. "That's the house of my nasty neighbour. Tell him to tell the truth about my dad."

Steven sighed wearily. He explained to the child.

"Okay fine, I'll talk to him. But in that case, move back a little. Why don't you sit down on the step in front of your door."

Tenten looked confused. She asked to the stranger why and he replied.

"If you want me to help your father, I have to do things my way. And for that, I need to be alone a bit. Trust me."

The girl hesitated, she still did not understand. But she finally obeyed and get away without losing eye contact.

Steven ran a hand over his face. He thought about how he was going to explain to a stranger that he wanted to know things about his neighbour, a suspected criminal, because his daughter "hired" him, a stranger, to exonerate him. The geek remembered that in the detective series, guys asking questions without the police were often hated, and did not generally had a lot of responses from the people they questioned.

The solution seemed risky but simple. To not say anything about his situation. He had to create some kind of link with Tenten's neighbour. The teen knew how. He knocked on the door, taking his Level One Bored Face.

A bald middle-aged man opened the door. His edgy air showed that he did not like to be bothered. And to be bothered by a stranger with funny clothes was the worst. He questioned the teenager in a dry way.

"What do you want?"

Steven sighed, his head in one hand. He replied with a very annoyed tone. "Excuse me, but I promised the girl behind me to ask you something."

The neighbour looked behind him and saw Tenten pouting and watching the two men intently. Steven said.

"I did not want to, but she got on my nerves. Damn kids."

The neighbour agreed. "That's true. You're not from here, are you not?"

Steven had enough of this question.

"No." He replied "I am a traveller. I didn't know that you welcome tourists this way in Konoha."

The neighbour whispered.

"Excuse this child. His father has problem with the law and she refuses to face the truth."

Steven asked.

"What do you mean? He's a criminal?"

The neighbour replied. "No. Apart from the little demon and snake whore, there are only respectable people in Konoha. But this stupid blacksmith should be locked up for when he decides to work late. Hammer blows do not help with sleep."

Steven continued, understanding.

"A blacksmith who works at night? What an idiot. But then what's the problem?"

"The shinobis asked if Akahiko, that's his name, was in his forge that night, after twenty o'clock. And I can guarantee that he wasn't, I've seen him going out in the evening but after, I slept like a baby."

Steven said.

"And this would have inevitably awake you if he had worked. Isn't it?"

The old bald man approved.

"Sure, I'm a light sleeper."

Steven then asked.

"And where did he goes yesterday?"

The neighbour raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know?"

Steven pointed Tenten with his thumb.

"To have something to say to that little nagging girl. Or she will not leave me alone, please."

The cantankerous old man seemed to understand. He pointed a finger to a street. The young geek thanked the old man and turned his back. The neighbour closed his door while Steven joined Tenten thinking.

'And the award goes to ... STEVEN RYAN!'

The girl got up, full of excitement, and questioned him.

"So? Did he tell the truth?"

Steven hesitated. He only listened to neighbour's story and had a direction. If he indeed lied, he was a very convincing liar, but with a motive to cause problems to the father of Tenten. But if he told the truth...

The teenager was sincere with the little girl.

"Tenten ... Your neighbour is always saying that your father was not there."

"What?" Screamed the little girl. "He's a liar!"

The stranger, predicting that she was about to rush to the neighbour's door, grabbed her by the shoulders and told her to calm down.

"Not so fast. If he really is a liar, we must prove that he lied, Tenten, not just ask him to talk."

The child asked, high-spirited.

"So...What do we do?"

Steven knew the answer to his question, but he wanted to cry just by thinking about it.

"We have to go in that over there and ask people if they have seen your father last night."

The geek indicated the direction the bald neighbour pointed. He suspected that he might have to talk to many people. Tenten asked why they had to do that. Steven told her it was the only way to show if the neighbour had lied or not.

"But he lied!"

Steven tried to explain the problem nicely.

"Listen, Tenten. I do not say that your father is a bad guy. But he did not explain where he was yesterday and that's why he has problems. If we find where he was and say it to the shinobis, everything will be resolved."

Tenten thought for a moment. She was not sure if she understood everything. But she finally said cheerfully.

"Okay! If we can help dad like that, so let's go!"

Steven stroked her head and smiled. Then she began to run down the street.

But as she turned geek's back on, he lost his smile. Tenten did not realize, but she might be very disappointed in the end. Steven, however, was well aware of how his father was in trouble.

If the neighbour had lied, it would be impossible to prove as long as Tenten's father did not tell the truth. And he did not seem to be willing to tell it. If ninjas questioned the father of Tenten, Akahiko Hasaki, it meant that he was suspected of having information about a serious matter, or to be responsible of a crime. And the fact that he refuses to talk, the neighbours telling the truth or not, made him very suspicious.

The young man had a heavy heart. 'Poor little girl. I'm afraid that this story do not end well for her and her father.' He thought.

* * *

That's it. Sorry again for the wait. T-T

The next chapter, I will try to be faster. Meanwhile, what did you think? Is it good? A little review maybe? ^^

I hope the name I chose for Tenten's family is okay for you. I did not know what to take so I took the Japanese word meaning "Blade tip."

List of references:

Game of Thrones, Diablo 3, Doctor Who, Resident Evil

See you soon! ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone;-)

I will not talk about my life, you are not there for that XD

So here continue the adventures of Steven and Tenten ... and of course Naruto = 3 = (whistles)

P.S: The french i am say sorry for my lack of english vocabulary XD

I decided to write here the music that you'll find in the chapter. And I'll do this for every chapters.

List of Music:

_Metallica_ \- One

* * *

Chapter 4:

'Voilà!' thought Steven, pleased.

He was glad to have seen himself in the reflection of a window.

The bowl of ramen that little Tenten had send on his head had, because of the soup, completely undone his little strand. So he took a moment to redo his hair. He thought.

'Without it, my hair would not be the same. Before, I had an ordinary pile of brown hair. Now I have a pile of brown hair with a hyper class Strand. Thank you Pandora Heart. '

After this horrible mental publicity, Steven turned to the girl sitting next to him. She was looking at him with impatience and curiosity.

When the geek had stopped to redo his hairs, without warning, Tenten tried everything to make him continue to walk. She tried to catch Steven's attention, it was like talking to a wall. She had then push him, bellowing to hurry ... It was like trying to move the mountain of the four Hokage. Exhausted, and Steven not even noticing him, she finally sat down and waited.

Intrigued by her gaze, Steven asked.

"What ?"

The little in red Chinese dress declared.

"You're like my mom."

The Geek did not understand. He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"She also spends half an hour doing her hairs."

The English chuckled, a little embarrassed, and tried to object.

"Well... you're exaggerating."

She replied, pointing a finger to a shop.

"No, I saw the clock there. It was exactly half an hour."

Steven had the impression to receive a huge rock on the head. He prayed inwardly that no one has saw him. He felt that his man pride would not survive to this. Tenten questioned.

"Why do you spend so much time on your hair? Especially on that strand ?"

There, the teenager felt it was his duty to respond, taking a ridiculous pose, pointing to the stars and beyond.

"Little girl, you must know that this strand is not a normal strand. This is the hairstyle of a great man. And the fact that I have the same hairstyle as him made me a cool guy. "

The girl did not flinch. Steven remained in that position for a moment. Tenten finally declared.

"You're weird."

Steven collapsed to the ground. But he got up laughing a little, he usually finds it weird. But, usually, people say that this in a low voice, when they thought he heard nothing, with a bunch of despise. The girl said it innocently, without malice, so he wasn't angry even one second. However, he explained.

"You know it is not a very nice thing to say to someone."

Tenten replied with the face of a proud student who learned well her lesson.

"But this is what I think and it's not good to lie. It was my dad who taught me that Strange-san."

There, Steven got mad a little.

"Hey! I have a name!"

"You did not told me your name."

The geek had to recognize that she was right. He informed her, with a sigh.

"My name is Steven Ryan." Before she destroys his name, he added, remembering Naruto. "You can call me Rai-san."

Tenten seemed to take a moment to accept the information. Then she said, smiling.

"Okay Rai-san."

Steven could only think that she was cute. Especially since he knew why she was so anxious to clear her father's name. She does not only admire him, he was the one who told her that lying was wrong. This made her story even sadder for the English. His father did not seem really innocent for now. But he promised to help this child. He expressed, smiling.

"What if we try to help your dad now?"

The girl was excited at the idea of investigating to save his father. She asked the geek what they should do. Steven looked around thoughtfully.

They were in the street the neighbor pointed before, a shopping street. There was no indication that Akahiko Hasaki, Tenten's father, either stop in the street, but it was his only lead. Apparently, they were at one of the end of the town. The mountain's faces were a little to the right of them and there were only trees on the left. He could also see, lifting his head a little, the great wall that surrounded the city. The teenager thought about all of this, and concluded that it was good news.

"The chances that he wanted to go on this street are high. If he wanted to go to the other end of town, he wouldn't have come here. Except if he wanted to confuse some followers by using the long way. If it is a dangerous criminal, this is unfortunately not yet impossible. '

The geek walked a little, observing around him, ignoring the curious glances that some passers addressed him. He was too focused to take care of that kind of thing. Arriving at the end of the street, in front of a field surrounded by a wall, belonging to a certain Hyuuga family, he recapped the potentially important informations he had noticed.

'This is a real shopping street. All the shops close at nineteen and thirty. the buildings all have upper floors, they are all obviously their owners home. My theory that he had planned a burglary fell through. So unless he is preparing a coup d'état, or participate to evil cult's ritual, there is only one type of place where he was able to go. The only places still open on this street after twenty o'clock: the Bars.

Steven knew that saying you were at the bar, potentially drinking too much, wasn't honorable, but it was not a sufficient reason to lie to the police, unless you are excessively afraid of your wife's reaction. The geek felt a pulling on a piece of his shirt. He left his reflection and saw Tenten, a little annoyed, trying to get his attention.

"What, little one?" Steven questioned.

The girl asked.

"Are you really looking for?"

The young man understood that he didn't seemed to be really doing it. And a little girl had probably difficulty to understand that an investigation was more reflection than action. Fortunately, he was not going to disappoint her. He lowered his face and told her.

"Yes Tenten. Actually, it is now that I need your help."

The girl regained her energy and asked.

"What do I do?"

Steven explained that pointing at the street where they came from.

"You have to go into all the bars on this street and ask the managers if your father was there last night. And if they ask you why you want to know, you say your father forgot his purse in a bar, but he does not remember which one. And if they ask why it is you who take care of this, you replied that it's because your father is busy at the forge. Will you remember? "

He was aware it was a lot for a child, but, obviously, she was more clever than other little girls. Tenten, a little confused, finally said, shocked.

"But it's a lie!"

Steven had to quickly replicate. But he expected this reaction.

"No Tenten, these are Tricks."

The girl seemed lost. She asked to the geek.

"Some Tricks? This is not the same thing?"

"Not at all." Steven told. "The lies, it's to hurt people. The tricks, it is to help them. The ninjas use a lot of tricks you know."

Tenten was still a little lost. She thought before declaring, unconvinced.

"Well ... If it can help Dad, I will try."

The English boy smiled, stroking her head. Then he let her go. He was a little ashamed to let a child do this kind of task, but it was the only solution. He knew that no one would answer his questions if he asked himself. A stranger asking about the activities of a respectable citizen, for now, would attract more death stares than answers. At the opposite, asked by the lovely girl of the referenced citizen, they would have no difficulty to speak.

Until the little legs of Tenten took her in all the bars on this street, Steven had no other choice but to wait. A little tired by his long walk, he decided to sit a bit. He noticed a cool spot in the shade of a tree. He decided to settle there, praising the one who had the good idea to keep the vegetation inside the walls of Konoha.

Steven sat in the middle of some flowers, slumping a bit against the tree. He took his MusicPlayer-3 and closed his eyes listening "One" by Metallica. This relaxing moment was welcome.

The air was much more pleasant than in London. The time seemed to pass more slowly, like a small stream gently going down. The weather was warm and a cool breeze was felt from time to time. Steven knew it was October here, winter is coming. He hoped for a moment to be back home to play at Dragon Age Inquisition.

He tried to focus on the music. He might depress again if he thought about what he would miss and never see. He had to think about something else.

The song still liked this music so much. But he wanted to change it now. He opened his eyes leaving his MP-3 from his pocket. But when his thumb stopped his music, his eyes met those of another person next to him.

Steven discovered a new little girl, half fell to the ground, catching Steven's eyes.

'There's more children than ninja or What?' He thought.

She seemed to have the same age than Naruto, and her short black hair made her even cuter than Tenten. Then he noticed her eyes. They were white. As white as pearl and without pupils. It was a shock for Steven; He saw thousands of strange things in his comics and movies, but to see such a thing in real life was different. He tensed and cringed. The child stood up and did the same, she seemed intimidated, like a kitten about to flee.

Steven looked at the girl with short black hair straight in the eyes for several seconds. It was hard to believe what he saw, but at the same time he remembered having seen this eyes somewhere.

Without warning, the girl bowed in front of Steven and stammered.

"I-I'm so-so-sorry to have wake you up!"

Steven was a little confused, then he corrected gently.

"No, no, don't worry. I wasn't not sleeping at all. I just closed my eyes for a moment."

The girl get up, clutching a small notebook, but she did not seem quieter than before. It seemed that the young geek's look was scaring her. That bothered him a lot. There is no merit in bringing fear to innocent children, even if he wasn't sure about how much those of this world really were.

The geek, while removing and storing the MusicPlayer-3, looked at the ground to try to discover what the girl was taking beside him. He saw nothing apart small yellow flowers and one purple. Randomly, and to not stand like an idiot, Steven tore the purple one and handed it to the girl asking, curious.

"Is this what you wanted?"

The girl hesitated a moment before confirming with a nod.

"So take it." Told Steven smiling.

The child was surprise. But, slowly, she took the colorful plant. She gave a shy "thank you" to Steven. Then an awkward silence settled. Steven began to hate it. So he spoke to the child, the more gently as possible.

"Is it for your mom?"

The girl was surprised by the question, and she replied, stammering a bit.

"N-No. It's for my herbarium ... B-but I was going to take a few for her too."

Steven watched collecting a large bouquet of yellow flowers. This touching scene reminded him of some very distant memories. This made him declared.

"All of them for her? She's lucky."

The child seemed confused, but at the same time quite pleased to hear that. She replied, contemplating the floral gift.

"She is the nicest mom in the world. She deserve it."

The teenager envied her. He thought with a sudden and profound melancholy.

'All the kids think that at this age ... at this age.'

Then he was violently surprised and jumped, with the girl, hearing a powerful male voice, sharp and oppressive. The kind that Steven hated.

"Hinata!" Yelled the voice.

The girl turned in one go, more intimidated than with Steven's look. There was more fear in her attitude this time. Steven turned his head slightly behind the tree and saw a man who looked exactly like he imagined him when he heard his voice: Mature, proud and so authoritative that he looked almost tyrannical. He had the same eyes as the little girl, and long black hair. It was obviously someone of the same family. He approached the girl.

"How many times did I told you to not leave the domain not being accompanied?"

The girl mumbled an apology while the man took her hand without the slightest affection.

"S-S- Sorry Father."

"And I told you to not stutter." Growled the father. "Come, we go home immediately. And you will be logged in your room as punishment, for this time."

The man began pulling his daughter bluntly. Steven had a little pity for the child. But more than that, much more, he felt anger rising inside of him. He should not do anything, he knew it. It was not his business. He stood up and growled.

"Hey! Don't you think you're exaggerating!"

The father and his child stopped suddenly and turned to the young man, one with an annoyed curiosity, the other with a fearful surprise. The man wondered who could challenge him like this, in such a way, and the little girl, what could possibly have made angry this kind, although strange, sir, to whom she had spoken. Steven asked exactly the same question.

"Excuse me?" Asked the old man, astonished by the dress of his interlocutor.

The boy, carried away by anger, approached telling.

"She may be your daughter but that does not justify to scream on her like that. She just wanted some flowers for her mother."

"By what right are you involving?" Questioned the father.

The geek was unpleasantly surprised by his own attitude.

'It is true.' He thought ' What am I doing ? '

Certainly he did not like how this man speaks to his daughter. But it was not a reason to be so angry, to lose control. Especially since Steven was absolutely not the angry kind, at least he thought, remembering how he avoided troubles in general. He could not stop.

"I involve with what I desire. You have the right to be upset, but not to yell at her like a dog and threaten her !"

The father of the little girl, named Hinata, seemed to do an effort to hide how much he was outraged by this affront. But, he did not seem to do a so great one, he must have an strong discipline. He looked for a moment the young boy and questioned him.

"You're not from Konoha , is not it?"

Steven was tired of this question. He answered, still growling.

"Yeah, so what?"

The man seemed to relax and turned his back to Steven. But his attitude seemed filled with contempt.

"So you better mind your own business and get out of here as soon as possible. You clearly do not know at who you are talking to."

Steven was ready to explode. He thought he was even able to catch the man by the collar. Fortunately, a more cheerful voice was heard.

"Rai-saaaaan"

Steven turned and saw the little Tenten running towards him. She exclaimed.

"I did what ya told me. I went to all bars."

She then noticed the two people behind the detective. She saw that the great man was angry and the little girl, scared. She looked and saw that Steven was not very happy either. She was a little troubled now.

"Do I ... bother you?" She asked.

The geek would not add Tenten in this story, and he was tired of this guy. He sighed and took a blow to the Hasaki.

"No Tenten-chan. It's okay. Come on, we will discuss further."

Steven began to go down a street. The two people with white eyes did the same. But before going further, Steven stopped and spoke without turning to them.

"Hey girl!"

The young Hinata and her father stopped and turned their eyes towards the stranger. This one declared.

"Do not forget to give your flowers. Do not that incident make you forget the essential."

After that, the English left again, followed by Tenten. Hinata was a little surprised by his words. His father frowned one last time before to go, holding his daughter firmly by the hand. The girl looked at her flowers, she was deep in thought. She would not forget to offer the bouquet to her mother. She would not forget this day.

Later, in some street, Steven sat down on a bench in a small park. Tenten did the same, a little lost. The poor girl did not understand why Steven was in a bad mood. The young man did not understand it well himself.

He had never really been angry in his life. He didn't remember to have been so clearly mad once. Generally, his days had only a bit of excitement, laughter, sadness, because of Anime. Aside from that, he never expressed anything. But there he was, yelling at a man he did not know, because he was too strict with a child. He did not understand what happened to him.

Steven remembered the little Hasaki, Tenten was sitting next to him. He looked at her with a smile and asked.

"So Tenten, what have you learned?"

The child was a little hesitant about what she would say.

"Well ... Nobody saw my dad last night."

Steven lost hope for a moment, but Tenten finished.

"But this is weird. In one of the bars, the Shamisen Bar, the barman said my dad does not patronize bars. But his neighbor said that my dad often went there, like all his customers who love play cards. It's weird. "

Steven was surprised a moment. He thought for a second about that information. Then, suddenly, he felt better. He finally had a lead. He stroked the head of the child saying.

"Congratulations Tenten, it is a good job. Can you wait here a moment?"

The girl looked confused. She did not understand what she does well. Completely lost, she just nodded and saw Steven going to the shopping street.

The geek came up to the Shamisen Bar. For him, without money to sympathize, buying a drink, a strict confrontation seemed the best solution. Even if he thought that because he was still on the effect of the adrenaline from the fight with the father of Hinata. He entered inside the building, almost empty of people. There were only two people playing with cards, Hanafuda, betting small amounts of money. The guests of this place must be mostly nocturnal.

Steven discovered the bartender cleaning a few cups. He was a thin man, almost skeletal, with a long mustache and with a baldness not very good for his shampoo's provider. The tenant stopped rubbing on seeing a person dressed so strangely. He could have noted the hair but he had seen more strange haircut.

The English boy approached him with a determined look. He sat on the chair in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. The bartender did not flinch, he had obviously seen worst situations. He asked.

"Can I help you?"

Steven responded by blowing him.

"Tenten talked to you is it not?"

The bartender frowned.

"How do you know?"

Steven was quite intimidated by the very direct and inquisitive tone of this man. He realized that he had perhaps chosen the wrong approach. He tried to correct his attitude, honesty seemed a better option.

"It was I who demanded her to ask these questions."

The man with the mustache seemed even more suspicious. The geek continued.

"You know that his father, Akahiko Hasaki, has problems with the police?"

There, the bartender seemed surprised.

"No, I ... I did not know."

Steven continued to speak.

"I do not know the details but I'll try to be brief. The shinobi asked him what he did last night. He lied to them and now they are about to rack his brain."

The bartender was increasingly worried as the geek told.

"Then Tenten, his daughter, was very sad and worried. So after an accident, that I will not tell, and completely desperate to not be able to do anything, she asked me to help her father from being arrested. A lead led us to this street. I demanded Tenten to ask a question or two in the bars to see where her father was, since the bartenders would not have not anything to me. You have claimed that Akahiko does not often patronize bars. At the opposite of your neighbor, he claims that he often comes here. So one of you is lying. And there is no reason your neighbor would lied. He openly said that Akahiko comes here to drink. You, you almost deny the fact that he patronize bars. The only reason that comes to my mind is you do not want that Hasaki-san seemed alcoholic. So you wanted, somehow, to protect his honor so that her daughter does not know anything about that. Which means you know and see him enough to justify to lie . Is it not? "

The Bartender was impressed, but his face could not show if Steven was right. The geek himself knew that what he said was not based on anything concrete, but it was his only chance.

The mustachioed relaxed and smile. He seemed strangely happy. As far as the player who won the card game a little further.

"You make a lot of assumptions sir." Expressed the bartender.

Steven had the impression that he failed. But to his surprise, the barman said with a smile.

"But you're smart. I must admit that you impress me. I met a lot of smart people in the past, you look like them. I was shinobi you know. In Akahiko's team precisely. This is why he comes here from time to time. "

Steven assumed with a certain joy.

"So you confirm that he was there last night?"

The old man refuted.

"I do not confirm anything."

Steven panicked feeling that his lead was escaping.

"What? But you understand that if you do not confirm it, the father of Tenten, your colleague, will go to jail and be 'dishonored'?"

The old man, looking resigned, began to wash his glasses responding.

"Yes, I understand. But he deliberately lied. And if he insist on saying nothing, that's his choice. I have to accept it."

The English, again, felt anger. He rose from his chair clapping on the counter, screaming.

"You mean you're going to let him disappoint his daughter?"

His exclamation drew the attention of the two card players. The mustachioed skeleton does not even jump. He replied coldly.

"If he does not want to tell what he does this evenings, I will not act against his will. As a former partner and friend, it would be a form of betrayal. And I think I know what Akahiko has in mind. so yes, I'll stay here and act as if nothing was happening. "

The Steven's rabid gaze did not disrupted him. The Geek implicitly understood that he wasn't going to tell him what Tenten's father was going to do. Seeing that it was useless, the teenager was disenchanted.

He left up the chair he had overturned by holding up sharply. Then he started to walk towards the exit of the bar. However, he was interrupted by the bartender.

" I said that I would not say anything. You, you do what you want. If you want to tell the truth, do it. I will not stop you. I just think that some things should not be heard by all ears. "

Steven turned his face towards him and questioned.

"And how am I supposed to tell the shinobi what you refuse to tell me?"

The old mustachioed, who was still polishing his glasses, replied with a smile.

"I told you. You're smart."

The geek was flattered by the compliment, but he did not want to celebrate. He went out of Shamisen Bar under the look of intrigued Hanafuda players, which resumed their part when he got out once and for all.

The English, dragging his feet, went to the little park where he had left the little girl. He did not feel good about the idea of seeing her again. He was ashamed. He said he did not promise him anything, but he could not help but be angry. When he would tell at Tenten that he had no way to prove that her father was at the bar last night ... He dared not imagine the grief of the girl. He felt helpless, useless.

He saw her on the bench, happily humming and swinging her little legs. He didn't want to approach her. He had a heavy heart. But he could not escape it. He arrived and stood before her, his hands in his pockets and his collars rattling in the wind. When she saw what made the shadow on her, Tenten jumped off the bench, smiling. She asked the man she had chosen as Savior, full of vigor.

"So? Did you find something?"

He did not answer. He felt even more uncomfortable than ever. It was the heavy silence of his life. He cleared his throat once, without knowing how would react Tenten. She declared.

"Oh, you're thirsty and that's why you do not say anything, is it not? Wait I'll buy something."

Steven was completely taken by surprise. When he could try to stop her, a cowardly side of himself did not let him do it. He looked the child in red chinese dress running. He sighed a big blow and sat on the bench, resigned to wait for the return of the child as a guilty person waiting the sentence. He stood for a moment, his eyes looking at the sky, as he did whenever he feel lost. He knew that he was in another world and yet ... it was like the sky looked exactly the same as in London, although it is a perfect blue and not gray like there. Then he had a strange feeling. As if someone was watching. He turned his head in one direction and then another, but he saw nothing. He began to think, without knowing that there was indeed someone else looking at him from the rooftops.

He thought about what the bartender told him.

"You're smart. "

It was a nice compliment. But in Steven's mind, it sounded like a 'you're alone'. Steven thought about everything he had seen and heard today. In everything he had said. He blamed himself for not being able to help Tenten. He felt like he had all the pieces of the puzzle, except one. It was frustrating. Steven studied them again to understand what piece of the puzzle was missing. He still lacked the core of the problem : Why did Tenten's father lied? What could he be doing in a bar that justifies lying to Shinobis and risking disgrace? Especially since his wife had sustained his lie. He had assumed that she had lied to cover her husband's, by devotion. But maybe she was an accomplice. It was not impossible after all. He knew nothing about this family.

At this point, Steven felt it was better to abandon. In court cases, there's always a prosecutor to accuse and a defense lawyer. But only one is right. Why would he be in the camp that is right?

All this was annoying him. All his years watching detective series with his mother was visibly of no avail. He loves these shows, but he felt that if he had not seen them, he would not be so frustrated. Perhaps it would not have even made him do that stupid promise to Tenten. He remembered why he increasingly began to watch them. His mother wanted to be sure he was doing his homework. And she was watching Crime Shows often, every day actually, so he began to do it in front of the TV, when she was watching it, to not be bored while he was working.

It was a trigger in the mind of Steven. He made comparisons with episodes of series and Anime. He finally had a link. There was no evidence that it was really that, but it was the one and only explanation justifying ALL the elements.

Tenten came with a small bottle. She explained on arrival.

"There was that juice in my store. I hope ..."

She was interupted by Steven who grabbed her hand and ran into the street where they had come.

"Het ... What's happening?" Asked the girl, taken by surprise.

"I found it Tenten! I understandd everything! We will save your father!"

They passed in front of the Shamisen Bar. The owner saw the teenager running. A small smile appeared on his face.

* * *

And one more chapter:-)

I hope you still like it. A little review in the hat perhaps? ;-)

I wanted to solve the case in this chapter, but I thought it was better to make a big suspense here to let a chance to let you find the answer yourself ;-)

List of references:

Pandora Heart, Cthulhu Mythos, Dragon Age: Inquisition


	5. Chapter 5

Hello ^^

sorry for the long time. I'm trying to write as much as i can.

I must, first, thanks all those who wrote reviews, add this fiction to their favorite or decided to follow it. Thank you very much :-)

Let's see what you think of that chapter.

See you later guys.

* * *

Chapter 5:

An oppressive atmosphere reigned in the Hasaki's living room. An Anbu were staring The blacksmith and his wife without leaving a moment the eyes off of them. The husband had a square face with eyes looking at the ground, apparently waiting for a sentence, but one that he had fully accepted. His portly woman, at the opposite, was staring on the ninja's eyes, although his face was hidden by a fox mask. She did not want to feel oppressed by anyone, ninja or otherwise. Her pride and the one of her family seemed to depend on it. Fox told to the blacksmith, without apparent emotion.

"My colleague will come soon."

The spouses had no reaction. Fox continued.

"It is not too late to confess everything."

The wife looked at her husband from the corner of her eye. There was no movement on his part. The three people restore silence that preceded. but it did not last long. They heard in the distance the door opening, and then a run in the corridor approaching more and more. Finally, to their amazement, they saw the little Hasaki opening the door of the room, with a curious smile. Entering, the girl cried happily.

"Dad! I found someone that will save you!"

No one moved. No one understood what she was saying.

"Tenten ..." Hesitated her mother. "What are you talking about?"

The puffed applicant swelled out her chest with pride and answered by pointing her thumb behind.

"The man I found said he knew how to proove that dad is innocent."

The three people even lesser understood. The father asked.

"What man Tenten?"

The girl was surprised and intrigued. She turned around and saw no one. She then looked down the hall, and it was a big shock. She saw a man sprawled on the floor like a sweat dripping heap, panting terribly hard and drooling on the floor. An absolutely pathetic spectacle.

"Heeeeey ! What are you doing?" Tenten bellowed.

Steven replied in a hushed voice and broken vile inspirations.

"I have ... still ... not ... recover ... from my ... yesterday ... race ..."

The girl shouted at him.

"Stand Up! You have to say what you have to say to the shinobi."

"Let ... me ... die ..."

"Not until you saved my dad!"

Steven gave up, he was in no condition to fight, even against a six year old girl. Absolutely pathetic.

"I breathe ... and then ... I ... talk ..."

Steven took a deep and long, long, inspiration.

"Much better." He told.

No expiration.

The boy stood up. Then he appeared before the entrance of the room under completely lost looks of Tenten's parents and the ninja with a fox mask. Steven remembered the courtesies of Japan and bowed slightly, presenting himself.

"Hajimemashite. My name is Steven Ryan. Call me Rai-san."

His interlocutors bowed in turn, but not without a moment of hesitation, because of the more than strange-looking young man's dresses. Steven had noticed it but did not thought about it. He began to be used to this, not knowing if it was a good or a bad thing. Tenten explained.

"Rai-san knows how to help you dad. I told him that you had problems and he understood everything."

Steven ordered her with the calm of an elder men to a child.

"Tenten, would-you-kindly wait outside."

The little girl did not understood instantly. She gave him a puzzled look and asked.

"But why? I want to know!"

Steven explained, on the same tone, looking into his eyes.

"These are adult's matters and I need you to be outside to explain everything."

The girl tried to protest. But Steven's interrupted her.

"If you do not do what I ask, I will not say anything."

Tenten wanted to squeal like a little girl. But she realized slowly, seeing his look, that she could not make him change his mind. She then left the house sulking.

When the English saw her closing the door. He sighed. He did not love to blackmail a child, but he had not found anything else to get her out. Steven turned to the three people present in the room. He expected, since he was in a Shonen world, to found a powerfully well-built man and an ultra sexy wife. Instead, he found a thin man with a walking stick beside him, and a wife with short hair, which was lovely if we liked women of a certain weight. He thought.

'I guess I have read too many Mainstream Manga. '

He then noticed the shinobi with a fox mask. Steven now could recognizes the official uniform he wore, having seen it hundreds of times by chance on the internet. The teenager had to force himself to ignore the katana he had on his back, this would intimidate him too much. This was obviously him that he needed to convince, but he had no way to know how he would react to his words. The young English began by explaining to the gathering.

"Well, first of all let me tell you everything."

Steven confirmed that he was indeed a stranger, coming from far far away, while apologizing to enter like that in their home. He did not want to give the impression to be an intruder believing he was permitted everything. He told them, omitting some embarrassing details, the incident at Ichiraku Ramen and that he had not felt able to say no to a crying child. Tenten's parents bowed their heads when they heard this, they understood a little. The father of the little demon apologized to the stranger.

"Sorry for the inconvenience that our daughter caused you."

Steven had a strange smile and a cheerful mysterious air.

"Oh no need for excuses. I would have regretted this decision only if I did not have found anything."

The three people present seemed even more surprises than at his arrival.

"What do you mean?" Asked Fox.

The young Englishman sat, eyes closed, and began to tell his investigation, occasionally throwing a glance to his audience.

"I spent the afternoon trying to find anything that could provide a definitive answer, whatever it may be, to your daughter. I have to admit that if she was not so adorable, I would have certainly dropped this story from the beginning. Contrary to what you might imagine, I do not like to meddle in others problems. I do not even know what you are accused of to be honest. But I understood, thanks to your daughter, that if you have big problems, it is because we do not know what you did last night. And I must say that It was difficult to find the answer, your friend at the Shamisen bar refused to talk to me. "

The three spectators seemed already very concentrated on what the teen were telling. Even though it was more difficult to say for the masked shinobi. The English continued.

"I started by talking to your neighbor. The one who destroyed your alibi, Mister Hasaki. He led me to a street, the only one where you could have gone, according to the direction you were going, and the fact that if you wanted to go elsewhere, any other street would have been better. In this street, there was only bar. Then, the bartenders have indicated that you were attending the Shamisen bar, the establishment of your former partner. The case could have stopped there, but he declined to confirm your presence last night. you can be proud to inspire such loyalty."

The blacksmith seemed a bit annoyed and a little worried. His wife, she did not lose a word of what was said. The Shinobi seemed simply to listen. Steven did not stop.

"Without any other lead, I thought necessary to tell your daughter that her father was probably a criminal. I thought 'Why not?'. After all, there is culprits, it is life. But I continued to think. And I realized that if I had trouble finding the solution, it is because there was many unanswered questions. I had dozens of assumptions for each of them, but no evidence that may link certain in a very rational and consistent way ... then suddenly, a lightning passed through my mind. "

There, the three spectators seemed intrigued. The face of the father showed that he was increasingly worried.

"After I willingly forgot the most logical but incomplete assumptions, such as the fact that you can be the leader of an evil cult dedicated to extraterrestrial creatures, or that you are secretly training a dragon ..."

'How is that logical? !' Thought the three spectators.

"I finally found the answers to the three most important issues."

The Geek raised his index.

"First: Why, Mr. hasaki, did you not want to say where you were? If you were at the bar, there was no reason to hide. But you were ready to let you accused of a crime rather than to tell the truth to the police. So, as a former Shinobi and simply members of this village, you knew they would eventually search through your mind . your wife even first confirmed your alibi. I begun with the principle that she knew where you were and wanted to hide it too. But by changing this element, everything became more logical. Truth is, She does NOT know where you were. She only covered you because she trusts you. she helped you believing that you did nothing wrong, but that you had your reasons to lie, perhaps with the hope that you would tell her everything later. So there was only one answer to the first question. You didn't care if the shinobi know what you were doing last night. But you did not want that YOUR WIFE know. "

The couple seemed slightly shocked. The Shinobi slightly turned his head towards him.

Steven showed a second finger before the blacksmith could say anything.

"Second: Why would you prefer that the shinobi read in your mind rather than just tell your wife the truth? The answer: Because, as a former shinobi, you thought you could talk to them and convince them to keep that information for them. You would be dishonored but it was unimportant for you as long as your wife did not know the truth. And if you were so sure shinobi accept it, it means that what you did was not serious enough for them to talk about and because, as a former ninja, this small favor would not mind more than that ... "

"Shut up !" yelled the blacksmith. "That's complete bullshit! You have neither evidence nor ..."

"AKAHIKO !" Interrupted his wife.

The Tenten's father quickly turned his troubled gaze to his wife. He wanted to protest, saying that it was a lie, that she should not believe this stranger. But the look of that woman was ordering him to be quiet. She wanted that Steven continues to speak. The suspect did not feel able to resist. He could only look down and let Steven dothe final blow.

Steven was quite frightened by the screams of the blacksmith for a moment. But the mother of the Tenten holding him, the young English felt a little safer. Even if he found the cold attitude of the shinobi with a fox mask disturbing. His Coldness made him wonder if he was really convincing him. English could only finish his work.

He raised a third and final finger.

"And third: What could you be doing last night to justify all of that? The answer is quite logical when you know your past, you were a shinobi, probably highly respected, but your daughter told me that you were injured. And that you had to be content with becoming a blacksmith. While I do not doubt that you love your job. "

Steven looked at the suspect's walking stick saying that.

"But it seems that nothing can replace the feeling of a ninja mission. You must miss it. Am I wrong?"

The blacksmith said nothing. He could only look to the ground.

"So, to replace this, you did something else. Something that gave you thrills and you could do at your friend's bar, at the Shamisen bar. All this added to the fact that you do not want your wife did 'learn, it gave me little likely outcome in the end So, the answer is clear to me.. You were at the bar playing cards, and most likely betting money "

Mr. Hasaki clenched his fists.

"And finally, given the latter elements, I do not think you want to just hide because you are ashamed. She would have known that you were doing something like that. But her reaction and her eyes, just now, make me think that she really wanted to know what you were doing, not just that I speak to innocent you. So, thinking, this leaves me to believe that she suspected a bit you were doing that, hoping that it was wrong. She wanted me to confirm or deny her suspicions. You probably played a long time ago and promised to not do it again. and here is the ultimate reason why you did not want your wife to learn what you did. You did not want her to discover that you had broken your promise "

Steven had finally finished.

But his heart was beating at full speed. He talked a lot, but it would have served no purpose if he did not convinced Fox. The geek looked at the shinobi. His mask prevented any lecture. Then he heard a small sob. It was Akahiko Hasaki, crying; fists clenched in anger against himself. He restrained himself as long as he could. But when small drops fell on his knees, the old warrior turned painfully but quickly toward his wife and bowed banging his head against the floor. He prayed loudly and drowned in sorrow.

"FORGIVE ME!"

While Fox sighed, and another ninja listened to everything, with satisfaction, from the roof edge, near the window, the spouse contemplated her husband with a dignified and inexpressive manner. She closed her eyes after a while and told him.

"You disappointed me Akahiko."

"Forgive me ..." he begged.

This scene made Steven feel ill-at-ease as much as it satisfied the young geek. He felt that he was unnecessary now, but he had succeeded. He tried to talk to the shinobi without looking at him directly, as much for the style that because he was intimidated by the warrior.

"I guess you can consider this as a confession. No need to make a big deal of this. He just confessed before he needed to explore his memory. It will be easier for everyone and perfectly true. Is it not? "

The masked warrior did not react.

'I know that it is normal for this character ...' thought Steven. 'But I don't feel at ease that he says nothing. I'd better go. '

The young investigator stood up and walked toward the exit. Under the eyes of Miss Hasaki and, since he turned his head, the masked shinobi. But before leaving, Steven remembered Tenten and stopped. There was something he should ... No "Must" say to the old blacksmith. He turned slightly and said quietly to the man kneeling.

"Mister Hasaki ... I did not say anything about this to Tenten. When she told me about you, I felt she admired you enormously. So if I can give you a simple advice, you should thought about talking to her about that, someday. Not until a few years of course, but someday. Do you prefer that she learns it from you or one of your alcoholic friends in the street? "

No one moved. Steven did not care. He said what he had to say. The young man went to the door, a little downcast, and get out of the house, finding the little girl with buns. She had waited sitting next to the door, in the dust. When she saw her detective out of the house, she rose quickly and asked, startled.

"Sososososo? Is my dad saved?"

Steven smiled and announced to the child.

"Yes Tenten. Everything will be alright for your father. Go. I think he needs a hug."

The girl jumped joyfully and ran like a Formula 1 in her house. The young Englishman just smiled. He felt ... strangely good. He was not sure to have done exactly the right thing. Who was he to judge it? But at least, the little demon would stay with her father.

The English had nothing to do here anymore. This seemed strange to pass from such a stressful story to normal, if he could really talk about normality now.

'I guess it would have been normal in a Doctor Who's Episode.' He thought.

But he could not stay there, and Naruto was going home as the sky was tinged with orange. It was even more bizarre to think that a future hero would be eager to see him again. When he was about to leave, a woman's voice stopped him.

"Wait, please."

Steven turned and saw Tenten's mother. The wife was staring abroad with hands crossed in front of her. Without waiting for a long time, she bowed to him declaring.

"Thank you for everything you've done."

Steven, surprised, bowed politely, and merely uttered.

"It's nothing. I did the right thing, simply."

The lady stand up and joked.

"Many would not 'simply' be able to do what you did. This story ended in the best way possible. And it is thanks to you."

Steven was a little lost. He asked.

"What do you mean?"

She replied softly.

"You've saved my husband, preventing him from dishonor and prison. You've avoided my daughter having to be disappointed and live without him for a long time. All of this in a way that does not could harm our privacy ... or make Tenten sad. your discretion and intelligence have saved us from a mountain of problems. "

Steven did not know what to say. He rubbed his neck, questioning.

"You're not ... disappointed? Because of your husband?"

Tenten's mother lost a little her smile and looked down. She explained, on your strangely devoid of sadness.

"... My husband is far from perfection. He was already like this at our meeting."

Steven knew she was referring to his passion for games.

"But I helped him. That's why we love each other and we got married. I'll do it again, and I feel he is really sorry."

The lady seemed perfectly sincere in her remarks. Steven was touched more than he would have admitted. She continued.

"You know ... It's not really the fact that he relapsed that disappointed me. We can all fall down. What hurt me was that he believed that spending a long time away from his daughter, and being called a liar by the whole village, could have been better than confess everything. He prioritized his little pride before Tenten. "

The Geek did not understood everything instantly. But by comparing various TV shows including family problems, he thought he understood what she meant, a little. Steven felt reassured. He bowed one last time confessing his relief.

"I am delighted to have been able to help. Have a good day."

She returned his salvation saying.

"You too. If you ever need our help, do not hesitate to ask."

Steven thanked her and turned her back, leaving the street. He thought back to that day throughout its journey to the house of Naruto. Once there, he found the blond boy who seemed to be waiting, sat in his living room, and obviously very upset. The boy ran to the English and barked at him.

"You promised to be there when I get back!"

Steven sighed, saying, with a relative calm close to a I-don't-care attitude.

"Wrong. You make me promise to be there for nineteen o'clock."

"IT IS ALMOST TWENTY!"

Steven continued on the same tone.

"Excuuuuse me, I was busy helping a pain in the neck girl to prevent her father to go to jail."

Naruto hesitated, surprised, then bellowed.

"Don't lie to me!"

"I do not lie!"

"And you're going to say what next? That you have been delayed because you had to face a samurai army?"

"No, that was yesterday!" Steven said, thinking of his Dynasty Warrior game.

The little ninja looked at the big geek defiantly. Steven then realized what he said. He could not believe he could say so much foolish things without hesitations. Then the future hero looked down. He holded in his hand the pentacle-necklace that Steven had given him.

"I thought you were gone." He muttered.

The teenager understood what mini-ninja felt. He was afraid of being abandoned. Steven could not blame him, with a past like that he suspected Naruto to have. The teenager put one knee to be at the small blonde's height.

"Listen to me Naruto." Tried the geek, sympathetically. "I'm not the kind of person who breaks his promises. There are many like that in this world, unfortunately, but I'm not one of them. My motto is to always keep my promises. "

Naruto finally looked up, confused. Steven continued.

"If I could not take one of them, it would be for a good reason. And it would have to be a terrible one."

The child seemed stunned.

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Steven confirmed. "It would need at least an army of dragons, or the life of a beautiful queen in danger, to prevent me from keeping my word."

The future hero while he was stunned, raw. He did not know how, but he felt the sincerity behind the foreigner's strange words.

Steven had maybe a little exagerated. He often kept his promises late, but he had not lied, saying that he was always holding them and it needed a good reason to stop him. Such as a new episode of Game of Thrones or a dungeon to complete on Elder Scrolls.

The child asked.

"Can I take this motto?"

That made the geek laugh a little.

"We can not 'take' someone's motto. But you can choose to follow it, take it as a model among many others."

Naruto implored.

"Then can I take you as a model?"

This was a shock. Steven had the impression that he passed on Machines Stopped Mode for a while. A manga hero asked him if he could be his model. He did not know if he should rejoice or panic. It was an honor in a way. But it could just as well be the worst thing that could have happen to this world!

'The manga heroes normally admire Super Strong Guys!' Panicked mentally the geek. 'I don't know who he is supposed to admire to become the strongest but I'm sure HUNDRED PERCENT that I must be a tiny little worm in comparison.'

Steven tried to take away this idea from Naruto's head.

"N ... Naruto ... You must have other cool and strong guys to admire. No?"

The child replied, smiling.

"Nothing prevents me from having many."

This time, Steven stopped the machines because he was ashamed. He had a real mental chaos for nothing. Obviously we can admire many people and for many reasons. If Naruto admired him just for a little sentence, especially at this age when he must be easily impressed, he would probably admired someone else for all the warrior side of his life. Steven relaxed and stroked the head of Naruto.

"Okay so, I agree." Accepted the geek. "And if we discussed about it during dinner?"

He felt really hungry actually. The little blond jumped joyfully.

"Yeah! I get ramen!"

'NOT AGAIN !' lamented Steven mentally.

But he could not stand between the hero of the story and his favorite food. Steven sighed while sitting at table, thinking back to that eventful day. He thought about the yesterday blonde girl 'Ino is that it? ', And finally about Tenten &amp; Naruto. He did not know whether his actions were good but he thought, tired and refusing to succumb to depression.

'Anyway, at least the truth was said. I am sure that all will end well for everyone. '

* * *

At the same time, within a large official building, an old man with a big hat, dressed in white and red, were thinking about what his two agents just told him: one with a cat mask, and the other with a Fox one. He questioned them in an inquisitive tone.

"If I believe your reports, Cat and Fox, this stranger seems pretty smart. Too much for an ordinary boy I feel."

Both the Anbu not said a word.

"He resolved this case without any concrete evidence, only his imagination and a very specific reason. "

Still no reaction.

"What worries me most is how he manages to be close to Uzumaki in such a short time. He made himself appreciated by Naruto in one meeting? It is very suspicious, especially by reading what he claims about his origins. "

Fox did nothing, but Cat slightly bowed his head.

"And Naruto is not the only one. When you also think about how the Hasaki apparently liked this stranger, one wonders if he has a fantastic sociability ... or if he does everything on purpose, to get appreciation from the people of the village. Given his intelligence, he did not look incapable of doing that. "

Cat tried.

"Hokage, I do not feel that he is a bad person. I have well observed him and I have not seen any sign of malice from the beginning to the end of my shadowing. It seems difficult to me to hide this kind of thing without interruption an entire day. "

The village leader said, without raising his voice.

"I would like to consider this chat, but we know absolutely nothing about that person. So I can not think that he is unable to do it."

Cat, despite her mask, appeared disappointed. The officer with the fox mask asked.

"So what do we do Hokage?"

The old man frowned, turning his chair toward the windows overlooking the village, now in darkness. After a few moments of reflections, he ordered to his ninjas.

"Bring him here, Cat. And you Fox, Bring Yamanaka Inoichi. I'm going to call other people at the same time."

The two officials confirmed and disappeared into two clouds of smoke.

The Hokage of Konoha felt that the evening was going to be painful and long. For him, but especially for this strange boy.

* * *

For now it's over :-)

I will try a new format now. Shorter chapters but appearing faster. Maybe it will be good.

Don't forget that a review is always welcome ;-)

See you soon my dear readers

List of references:

Cthulhu Mythos, Dragon, Doctor Who, Dynasty Warrior, Game of Thrones, The Elder Scrolls


	6. Chapter 6

Hello ^^

Sorry for the wait :/

But I have a surprise for you at the end of this chapter ;-)

See you later

* * *

Chapter 6:

For Steven, it seemed it would be a good evening. Despite the ramen for dinner, that he just wanted to throw out the window, Steven felt good. He used again his black T-shirt with Wolves from yesterday and his jeans with three little silver chains. But that did not bother him, the wolves in a snowy forest under a full moon and an aurora borealis was his favorite shirt.

He came out of the bathroom, finishing to do his hairs like Oz Vessalius, sighing.

"Whew! It feels good ..."

A plastic glass was threw on his face.

"Ouch!" reacted the teen. "Are you crazy Naruto ?!"

"YOU WERE THERE FOR AN HOUR !"

"It takes time to be clean and to have tidy hairs!"

"Rubbish! If that were true you would not have a broom on your head!"

Outraged, the English struck a blow on the blonde's head, making him fall to the ground.

"Shut up! It's forbidden to insult my haircut! Otherwise : Secret blade in your Face! Understood, Moron ?!"

The little ninja, ignoring the reference that he did not understand, got up and threw himself on the geek as a rabid fox.

"WHAT DID YOU CALLED ME, STRANGE BROOM ?!"

"DARE REPEAT THAT BLONDIE !"

A cloud of dust rose, hiding a big, loud and immature fight that lasted at least ten minutes. Childish insults and cushions flew everywhere. A window was quite broke and half of the furniture in the room were left overturned. The two children eventually collapsed from exhaustion, panting like dogs. One because he had trained a lot today, the other just because he was physically feeble.

The little ninja sneered. This puzzled the geek.

"What are you laughing at ?"

"Heh heh ... I never fought like this with anyone before"

The teenager, astonished, searched i his memory a moment. He said, smiling.

"I admit that ... me neither. Well, I already fought once or twice, but never like that. It was not bad actually."

"That's true."

The childish duo remained on the ground a few moments to laugh. Steven was well aware that such a scene had never happened before in his life. Never. He and Naruto were thrilled. Exhausted but thrilled.

The geek finally get up, followed by the child, and the teen suggested to him.

"I know it is not very late but ... what if we clean everything tomorrow and just rest quietly under our duvets tonight?"

Naruto had to recognize that he was very tired. Such an energetic boy, many would expect, including Steven, that he normally fell asleep very late, after doing a lot of things known only by himself. But in fact it was not really different from his usual evening's program.

"OK." Accepted the little blonde smiling. "I do this all the time, but if you're there it will be great i guess."

Steven did not understood what he meant at the time. But after thinking about it a moment, it seemed quite logical to him. Naruto was alone, and obviously not recently. With no friends to spend time with him, he would rather go to sleep than spend long lonely nights.

The Geek could understand that. He too had been wanting to do this many time. But, he had enough things to spend good evenings.

'Poor boy.' Steven thought. 'If I had my One Piece collection, I would have lend it to him. But now ... '

Then, the boys heard a knock at the door of the apartment. Naruto, surprised, ran to the door and opened it slightly and slowly, seemingly fearing who could potentially be behind.

Steven got up to join the child, who seemed to have relaxed and opened wide the door on a kunoichi with a feline mask and a Ninjato on her back. The Geek tensed a bit seeing that, he kept a pretty stressful memory of the shinobi with a fox mask. If he had the choice, he would rather be locked with his Lord of the Rings collection than meeting another ninja. But he was aware that his opinion did not really matter at the moment.

"Good evening Cat." Joyfully greeted the little blonde.

"Good evening Naruto."

"What can I do for you ?"

"I must talk to the stranger you accommodate."

Naruto looked surprised. Steven had a bad feeling. The child let her in without question. He was still shocked. The Geek asked, as much by curiosity than to try to see if he should be worried.

"You know her?"

Naruto answered and said, smiling.

"I see her sometimes. But she never told me her name. As Dog."

The kunoichi said nothing to that. She just looked at the geek in the eye. Which didn't reassured him.

"Follow me please." Demanded the shinobi.

Despite the anxiety, by pure mental reflex, the English could not help but defy authority.

"Not even an Hajimemashite? It's not very polite you know."

The ninja growled slightly. Steven seemed to sense a threatening will emerge from her. Which made him take a step back, staring wide-eyed. He understood that it was better to obey for now. He relaxed a little saying.

"Okay. No problem. Just wait a second."

Under the kunoichi's gaze, that he guessed it was suspicious, Steven approached his small iron box where he kept his pendants. He pulled out three of them: An Assassin's Creed symbol first, to give himself courage. Secondly, the Dragon of the Elder Scrolls game series, for the same reason. And finally, one of his pentacles with little stones, this time deep blue.

The boy went back to Naruto and Cat and gave a nod indicating that he was ready to go. She then began to leave the apartment, Steven on her heels. But the stranger paused and turned to Naruto. The Little one seemed ready to stop them, asking for explanations. But Steven smiled saying, almost nonchalantly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing serious. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

It does not really reassured Naruto, but he was calm enough to let them go. But he looked at them holding the pentacle pendant that Steven had given him yesterday.

Steven therefore followed the ninja with a mask in the night. When he was enough far from the building where Naruto lived, he took his courage in both hands and asked the ninja.

"Tell me... I did not make a false promise to the small one, is it not? No, because ... To not keep my promises, I hate that. You see? Do I have trouble?"

But the ninja said nothing at all. Aggravating even more the anguish of the young Englishman, who began to worry mentally.

'An armed person who embarks me in silence during the night ... Fortunately we are not in Game of Thrones, otherwise it would mean that I am going to be interrogated and tortured ... and maybe not in that order. '

Therefore, they walked silently through the deserted and dark streets.

It is only in front of the large building, at the heart of the village, that Steven thought to understand what to expect. He said mentally.

'Ah! This is where the village chief lives I think. I mean ... the Hokage. Surely he wants to ask me some questions about who I am and where I come from. If I tell him the same things I said to the others, everything should be fine. '

The ninja leads him into an office, but when he put his foot in it, he felt a little less reassured. The place had several quite intimidating people. The geek had seen enough Bad Guys in his stories and video games to know when he wasn't in front of Funny persons.

"If I did not know that I am in the village of good ones ... 'Thought Steven, swallowing. 'I think I would believe that they are the Bad Team ... or the new characters of the next Dynasty Warrior.'

There was, indeed, the ninja with a fox mask, that he had to convince this afternoon, a tall blond with sunken cheeks, a man with face covered with horrible scars and wearing a bandana, and an old man with a big hat sitting behind a desk, in front of some papers.

'An old man behind a desk? It is the leader. No doubt. 'the Teenager quickly concluded.

The old man, who looked at him with piercing eyes, asked, with a strict voice but without violence.

"Sit down please."

The Geek thought to make one or two comments, but the cruel look of the large scarred man discouraged him. Steven did as the old man asked, taut as a guitar string. The old man spoke.

"Sir, my name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. Third Hokage of the village of Konoha. And so, by definition, the leader of all the ninjas of this village."

It did not comforted Steven to see that he was right. He answered immediately.

"Uh ... Hajimemashite ... My name is Steven Ryan, you can call me Rai-san. But I guess you already knew that. Is it not?"

To test the stranger, the Hokage questioned.

"What makes you say that?"

Not seeing the purpose behind this question, Steven replied.

"Well I guess the ninjas are very good at collecting information and you probably tried to find informations about me before to see me. Because you are their leader they must have told you a lot."

The Hokage replied.

"Your reasoning is correct ... But, despite this, they did not find as much information as I would like."

'No surprise.' Steven thought. 'Two days ago, I wasn't even in this world.'

The old man continued.

"I'd like you tell me who you are, exactly, and what you are doing in Konoha."

Steven took a deep breath and tried, not very well, to not think about the killers heads around him. Especially as Cat and Fox had each placed on one side of his chair, as if to not give him a chance to escape. Which, paradoxically, still gave him more desire to take to his heels.

'It's Naruto or an Anime Con version of Godfather here?' Thought the Worried English.

He swallowed before telling the same lies he had told to everybody so far, interspersed with various issues from the Hokage: That he came from a country beyond the sea called Brittania, he was traveling for fun ... and he also explained how he had met Naruto and what happened this afternoon with Hasaki.

It was long and boring. Only when Steven asked.

"You must already know this. No?"

The chief did not even answered him. He just kept staring at him with eyes more piercing than kunai.

When Steven finished his story. There was a heavy and disturbing silence.

'I know it's not a horror game ...' thought Steven. 'But a silence like that, it's usually not a good sign. It would be a good moment to scream :To the TARDIS! '

The Hokage finally look up at the teenager, who felt increasingly ill. The old man said.

"Very well. Now tell me the truth."

Now, the young English was very close to panic. His lies had obviously not convinced the Hokage at all. But he had to support his version at all cost. If he told the truth, he felt they would feel that he's making fun of them. Even him could not believe it himself. Steven could not help but hesitate affirming.

"I ... I do not understand what you mean."

Nobody reacted. Even the looks of his torturers seemed to say.

'Seriously? You expect us to believe you? '

The Geek tried to ask.

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

The Hokage explained.

"We are ninjas. Interrogations are one of our specialties. Your attitude, your gestures, intonation ... All of this is already enough to understand that you're hiding things."

It was half true. The old man and his ninjas could only say that he was not telling the whole truth, without knowing which pieces of his story, exactly, were sincere. But to believe that he considered what he said as a pure lie was a good psychological scrambles to stress the suspect and led him to eventually believe that he had failed in his attempt to lie.

"And ..." he continued. "Your story is too suspicious. She suits you too much looking at the few informations we have. I've never heard of a land beyond the seas, not even a rumor or legend . "

Steven tensed more. The old ninja's ploy had worked. But Steven could not tell the truth. Especially not THIS truth.

"I assure you ..." Insisted Steven. "I'm not Lying to you."

The fact that he actually came from Far away facilitated his statement. But that did not convinced his torturers.

The Hokage coldly told to the teenager, in a quietly menacing voice, like to a child unconscious of the situation he was in.

"Mr. Ryan ... You must know that if you are here, it is because we distrust you."

Steven was more afraid.

"You came literally from nowhere, the guards at the entrance of the village have never seen your head and you quickly became friend with a very important boy, that you knew the name without having ever seen him before."

This time, the Geek could only admit the obvious: He was definitely finished. His lies were enough to convince children or people who did not care. But professionals, wanting to protect their village, had noted the elements which, in the spirit of the Otaku, reduced his story to dust and throw it in space.

He did not know what to say this time. He looked, worryingly, at all the people in the room, all of them looking at him scornfully. The young English mentally panicked.

'Oh Loooord... What will I do? Doctor, if you exist, it is the right time to land! '

The Hokage advised the young stranger.

"We will know what we want to know Mr. Ryan. In one way or another. Here is Ibiki Morino."

Steven saw that he was talking about the big scarred colossus.

"Morino-San is the leader of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force."

'TORTURE ?!' Thought the English, clenching his fists.

He seemed ready to crack up, his face could not hide his concern, especially looking at the cold and disfigured face of the big man. Scary questions went through his head.

'They will beat me ?! Use pliers ?! Needles ?! Drown me ?! The Hell ! Is this story a Shonen or a Seinen? '

The old man continued, indicating the tall blond with hollow cheeks.

"And here is Yamanaka-san, he has a powerful technique for finding information in people's minds."

The Geek realized he was the person supposed to question Akahiko Hasaki earlier. He asked, really worried.

"You want to go... into my mind?"

The Hokage answered clearly and strictly.

"It is one of our options. This is your last chance to tell us everything. You have three choices:.. Speak, the mental search or torture."

Steven swallowed, eyes wide open, as he began to tremble

"As I was saying, Mr. Ryan, we will know what we want to know, one way or another."

The trembling geek's body showed the ninja, without joy or remorse, that their methods of intimidation were working.

If he had been in full possession of his mental capacity, Steven would chose mental search. If he could not tell anything without looking crazy, this method could allow the ninja to know who he was without question or doubt.

But at this moment, the young English was panicking, completely frightened. He was so tense that his (weak) muscles seemed about to snap. He trembled almost imperceptibly. He already felt the iron instruments of torture on his skin. He saw all his life and his most shameful secrets revealed to a stranger. Fear, shame and indignation mixed in his mind to form a real emotional bag of bones. He stammered, unable to think clearly.

"B ... But ... I ... I ... don't want... my head ..."

Morino, seeing how was the english, thought he only need a little push before cracking up and tell everything. Sarutobi and him looked each others from the corner of their eye. The Hokage had a very slight nod of approval.

He grabbed the scarred teenager by the neck, forcing him to watch the smirk of the colossus. He said with a sadistic, blood-curdling, voice.

"I deduce that you prefer torture? I love my job boy, you know. I spend a lot of time doing it."

In the head of the geek, fear was replaced by terror. He was ready to explode like the Death Star from Star Wars. The terrifying face Morino was increasing the pressure more and more. A drop of cold sweat beaded on Steven's temple as his face formed, gradually, a grin of terror.

When he felt himself about to crack up. It was a violent flash of headache.

_He saw a young and sad blonde girl, locked in a room surrounded by ice._

Then he fainted, drooling quite comically, under the eyes of the baffled ninjas.

They looked at each other, not knowing what to do. They looked the Hokage. He too was a little surprised.

Cat ventured to ask.

"Uh ... Morino-san ... Perhaps you were a little too hard. No?"

"Uh ... Maybe ... Or he is the most mentally weak person I ever interrogated."

The Hokage cleared his throat and questioned the chief of Yamanaka clan.

"Inoichi-san, you cannot explore his mind right now. Isn't it?"

"Indeed, Hokage-sama. If I search now, I will only see his dreams. We'll have to wait until he wakes up."

"Very well. You can go Yamanaka-san and Morino-san. Cat, Fox, brought him in a cell and ask the guard to let me know when he wakes up."

While the tall blond and giant got out, Fox confirmed directly that he received his orders. Cat, on the contrary, asked.

"Hokage ... What will we tell to Naruto?"

The old man thought for a moment. It was not going to be easy. He knew that if he told the truth to Naruto, the boy would be angry at him. And if he said the stranger just left him, he will feel betrayed and abandoned. It broke his heart to have to say this. But it would be better if he feel angry against a suspect than his village. And if he tell that it was for reasons independent of , the emotional impact would remain limited. But if he had to release him, if he was actually not a threat to Konoha, Naruto would be angry at him even more for having lied to him.

'I feel that I will have a new headache tonight.' Thought the Sandaime.

Before he could say what he had in mind, the ninja with Dog mask appeared in a cloud of smoke, a small iron box in his arm. He greeted the Hokage saying to come to tell his report. The old shinobi asked to the soldier.

"Is there a Problem Dog?"

"Yes Hokage. You asked me to wait for Naruto to sleep to the mysterious stuffs of that stranger."

"Indeed. So ?"

"When the little one felt asleep, I searched discreetly throughout the apartment ... But I have not found his bag nor the strange object he had in his ears."

The Hokage frowned. Then he asked, surprised and slightly worried.

"What? You're sure to look everywhere?"

"Affirmative Hokage." Said the masked ninja. "He had to get rid of it while Cat and I were here for our report and receive your orders. It was not more than thirty minutes, So either he waited for the right time, or we have bad luck. "

The Hokage hesitated.

"After what I saw ... I'm not really sure which of these two hypotheses is more plausible."

The Sandaime growled before continuing.

"And what is that little box?"

The ninja dog mask placed the container on the desk saying.

"It's the only thing from this stranger that I could find in Naruto's appartement."

The old ninja raised an eyebrow and opened it with one hand. the little box contained, approximately, fifty or more pendants of all kinds. The Sandaime remembered seeing three jewels of the same kind on Steven's neck. He understood why Dog seized it. He took a medallion in the shape of a fanciful Axe, inlaid with a red stone, and looked at it for a moment. He did not feel any trace of chakra, or anything suspicious at all. Then he put it away and closed the box, decided to check it out later.

The ninja leader ordered to Dog.

"Alright. Go back keep an eye on Naruto. We will know where that bag is when we will interrogate Mr. Ryan tomorrow."

Dog nodded then disappeared in a cloud of smoke again.

The old ninja turned his gaze to Cat and Fox, who stayed because he had not answered the Cat's question.

"Take him." Ordered the Sandaime. "I'll take care of Naruto in person."

Both Ninja finally took the young stranger, who was still unconscious with a pathetic face.

The Hokage sighed, turning to the window from which he had an unobstructed view of the village.

Sometimes he really hated being Hokage. Especially in times of uncertainty like this. Who was this stranger? Was he a threat for Konoha? What would he say to Naruto?

All he could do was smoking his pipe and sign a new mountain of paperwork.

* * *

Meanwhile, far to the south, on an island in the middle of a raging ocean, a small village, visibly poor, had emptied its streets to shelter from a storm. Overlooking this place, there was a once majestic domain, now empty, and partially dilapidated. On the front of the door, written in large letters, the name of the clan to which it belonged : "Sokora."

Inside a large living room, an old man, with impressive musculature, was on meditation session in the middle of candles and sacred painted draws even. His white beard was reflecting the sparks of light gently, unlike his black kimono and the large black bow in front of him.

He was interrupted by someone knocking at the door of his meditation room.

He told this person, with his deep and imposing voice, to come in.

A man in his forties, with medium length, and semi-curly, brown hairs, entered. Despite the rather dim light, he could clearly see the rectangular glasses he wore, his jeans and slightly dirty white shirt.

The old fighter did not smile. He said, annoyed.

"Professor Mitchell ... I expected you yesterday."

The professor bowed saying.

"My excuses Sokora-sama. I had some... problems."

The old warrior asked, worried.

"The kind that made you unable to bring the cargo?"

"No." reassured the Professor. "The boxes are there and in perfect condition."

The warrior seemed to relax a little. Then he inquired.

"So what happened?"

"Before anything else." Said the Professor, before letting entered a redhead girl with wood pearls on a strand.

"Let me introduce you to one of my students, who accepted to join our cause: Rihannon Ashford."

* * *

That's all folks ^^

Shorter, less description and faster to produce.

Did you like it?

Is it good? was better before?

Please feel free to tell.

Eh what? oh yes I said I had a surprise. And well, the surprise is that I was thinking of writing a parallel story, with Steven, at the same time, but in Another universe.

Basically, Steven is in the Naruto universe, but, oddly, There is a person looking like him who appears in another universe at the same time. Wandering in a castle, encountering two sad damsels, Steven seems however not surprised or embarrassed to be there. Ready to have fun and many other things.

What universe you ask? Believe it or not but it would be in the Frozen Universe. Is this really Steven? A ghost? A copy? If this story seems to already interest you, tell me and with the next chapter of Kunai &amp; Cellphone, the first chapter of this parallel story will come out soon after.

I hope to read you soon ^^ To your reviews;-)

List of references:

Pandora Heart, Assassin's Creed, One Piece, Assassin's Creed, The Elder Scrolls, Game of Thrones, Dynasty Warrior, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Frozen


	7. Chapter 7

Hi all

Thank you very much to all my Reviewers. :-)

Hoping to soon have new nice reviews from all of you.

As promised, the first chapter of Steven's parallel story in the world of Frozen is available. Its title is "The Queen, the Geek and the Princess"

If you're interested, you just have to visit my profile and follow the link ;-)

So ^^ Now I let you read this adventure in the Naruto universe. See you down.

Music in this chapter:

_Metallica_ – Nothing else Matter

* * *

Chapter 7

_"Take him." Ordered the Sandaime. "I'll take care of Naruto in person."_

_Both Ninja finally took the young stranger, who was still unconscious with a pathetic face._

_The Hokage sighed, turning to the window from which he had an unobstructed view of the village._

_Sometimes, he really hated being Hokage. Especially in times of uncertainty like this. Who was this stranger? Was he a threat for Konoha? What would he say to Naruto?_

_All he could do was smoking his pipe and sign a new mountain of paperwork._

* * *

Six months later

There's only three things that every nations of the ninja world have in common:

First, There will always be people trying to revive tensions between them.

Second, There will always be people to stop these one.

And Most important, after ten p.m, every bars have at least one drunken boozer.

And it was certainly not a small village at the east of Konoha that would become an exception.

It was a so ordinary evening. A young girl in black kimono just ran behind a pig dressed in red. It stopped in front of a door. He sniffed suddenly and squeaked by pointing it with his paw. The girl in black knew this place, to have come here three times this week. It was famous in the entire region for its sake.

Not surprised, and full of anger, she violently opened the door of the bar, startling all clients, and then screamed loudly.

"TSUNADE-SAMA !"

A blonde woman, with abnormally developed mammary arguments, turned to her with an annoyed face.

"Shizune ..." she whined. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried! I did not know where you were!"

The blonde replied by drinking a little alcohol.

"Now that you know it, leave me alone."

The girl in black did the opposite. She approached the counter where Tsunade was slumped, the little pig behind her, and stole her bottle. Which provoked childish moaning from the tall blonde. This bottle was obviously not the first one.

"Give me THAAAT Shizune."

"Certainly not."

Tsunade argued by pointing the window in front of her, behind the counter.

"Come on, it is not late. I have the right to spend a good evening."

"Surely not like that. You promised to help the village's doctor tomorrow. And are you not ashamed to already squander the money he gave you playing and drinking?"

"Nobody cares that I'm still drunk tomorrow."

"YOUR PATIENTS DOES!"

The little pig saw all this and sighed. He was obviously accustomed to this kind of scene. Then he draw himself up, perceiving a scent he had never felt before. He sniffed once, while his two mistresses continued their argument, then turned his head to the bar entrance. A stranger, not taller than Shizune had just entered. She was wearing a black sweatshirt with a hood that hid her face. Everybody could only guess it was a girl.

The stranger looked at the sannin. She was apparently relieved. Then she took a deep breath, to take her courage in both hands, and walked to the duo, still fighting for the sake bottle. One to empty it, the other to keep it full.

With a strong voice, but very tense, the stranger interrupted.

"Uh ... Excuse me. You are the legendary Tsunade, is it not?"

The blonde and her disciple, surprised, stopped to fight for a moment, discovering the girl. But, because of the alcohol, the sannin did not answered her and took advantage of the interruption to snatch the sake from Shizune's hands. She showed the sake's bottle with a triumphant pose.

"HAHAHA!" Boasted the Sannin. "My beloved bottle!"

She gleefully rubbed her face against the sake and, under Shizune's sad look, and the baffled stranger, brandished it like a trophy.

Suddenly a hissing and noises of broken glass. Nobody except the stranger heared that. In less than a second, she panicked, grabbed Shizune and the sannin and threw them to the ground screaming.

"GET DOWN !"

No one in the bar understood what was going on, especially the tenant, behind the counter. They looked at the three women to the ground as if they had become crazy. Shizune looked at the stranger with the same air.

"What's the matter with you?" She asked.

"My sakeeeee" Tsunade wept.

In her fast action, the dark stranger had brought down the alcohol bottle on the ground, breaking it in the process. There was sake everywhere now.

"Hey! Are you sick ?!" Scolded the bartender. "You will clean that !"

The sannin passed from drunken sadness to nervousness in a second. She got up and grabbed the tenant by the collar, growling.

"Who do you think I am? A housekeeper? That's your bar, you clean."

The bartender replied.

"My policy is: You break it, you clean."

The Strange girl caught the tall blonde by the arm, pulling her back to the ground and telling her to stay down.

She barely had time to bring her down that a new broken glass noise and hissing was heard. But this time, the sound of a body collapsing on his counter ensued: The bartender, a bloody hole in the middle of his forehead.

This time, all customers panicked. Shizune and Tonton eyes widened in fear. Tsunade saw an atrocious trickle of blood from the victim's skull. She seemed ready to run with fear.

Continuing to press her hands on the shoulders of Shizune and the blonde kunoichi, the dark girl risked a glance over the counter and the lifeless body of the owner. She saw the window of the store, in front of which was the bartender and the sannin a second before. It overlooked a long avenue and there was two small holes in the glass, as she feared.

She lowered quickly. There was another whistle and broken glass noise. The unknown young girl breathed faster, eyes wide open. But, not losing time, she calmed herself by taking a deep breath, then crouched as much as possible, begining to run toward the bar's back door, ordering the other two women.

"Follow me! But stay on the ground until I tell you to get up."

"What?!" Shizune exclaimed. "But what's going on ?! And who are you ?!"

The stranger turned her green eyes on her direction.

"I promise I will explain you everything when we're safe." She promised. "But for now, do as I say!"

The girl in black kimono hesitated. She looked at Tonton, the pig, and Tsunade. She was still in shock, staring with horror the blood that flowed from the bartender's body. Shizune did not know ifthis dark girl was trustworthy, but if she wanted her death, whatever the unknown method used now, she would have done nothing. She seemed to really want to save their life.

Shizune felt she had no choice. She grabbed Tsunade's arm, imploring.

"Tsunade-Sama. We need to go."

She turned the sannin far from the blood that flowed and then brought her behind the mysterious girl in black sweatshirt.

They entered into the back room. The stranger checked that there was no window. Once reassured, she entered with the two kunoichi and closed the door behind them, telling that they could get up.

Without stopping, the dark girl opened the back door of the bar and looked if the street was safe. She indicated to Shizune and Tsunade to follow her. Only the legendary ninja, leaning against a kitchen cabinet, seemed not really in top form. Alcohol was still vivid in her veins. The stranger feared to not being able to take them very far.

'If this sniper had support, we may have big problems.' Thought the stranger.

Shizune wanted to help her sensei, but she rejected the hand and stood as straight as possible. The stranger had no choice but to give it a chance. She began to run in the side street behind the bar, dimly lit, followed by the other women.

But she had to stop, suddenly seeing a man landing in front of her.

"Shit!" She exclaimed.

What she feared was correct. A shinobi with a cruel glare stood in front of her. His threatening eyes, surrounded by black paint, each had a trio of sharp vertical and parallel lines, tattooed, with the same color. Which were accentuated by his sharp goatee and relentless air. His short spiked hair overlooking a ninja-headband, or hitai ate, whose sign was a symbol of Konoha cut by a horizontal line. But what most frightened the young stranger, was the two sickles that the fighter was holding.

The girl in sweatshirt recoiled with terror, under the surprised and worried eyes of Shizune and Tsunade.

The warrior, dressed in a regular ninja outfit, sleeves torn, and provided with much more belts and kunai, said in a terribly stern voice.

"I knew you would interfere with this, traitor."

The girl in sweatshirt swallowed. For Shizune, it was pretty clear that this man was the one wanting to kill them, or at least one of its partner. This stranger was really trying to help them. But she seemed frozen. Shizune took place in front of her, in fighting position. She said bravely.

"Let us pass! You do not know who you are dealing with!"

The opponent, not impressed, replied.

"An old boozer, an unconscious disciple, their mascot and a girl without courage. That's what I see."

Shizune growled, offended, as Tonton. Tsunade did the same, but having almost stumbled. The kunoichi with black kimono grabbed a kunai from under her clothing. The pig also seemed ready to attack, while the stranger stood beside the sannin, which was leaning against the wall now.

The enemy crossed his sickles before him, eyes closed, observed by Shizune.

It was then that the tattoos on the killer's face changed from black to blue and, to the surprise of his opponents, extended themselves to his arms and hands.

Seeing this, the stranger screamed to Shizune.

"Be careful! It's ..."

She was interrupted by the warrior who rushed to assault Shizune. The kunoichi in black anticipated by throwing her kunai, he stopped it by sending another one. The weapons clashed. Shizune and the enemy ran towards each other.

The two fighter began to exchange blows. Shizune was the most aggressive. But, unfortunately, she did not seem to be a difficult opponent for the killer. He dodged her attacks without problems, while watching her with a pride gaze.

"I do not have time to waste with you." He taunted. "I finish with the blonde one and come back."

The enemy did an hold that threw her to the ground before running to the sannin. She yelled at him.

"Do not underestimate me!"

She tried to hit him. He dodged to the side but she anticipated his action and, by charging chakra, punched him in the chest ... What pushed him to just two meters.

The sannin and her disciple 's eyes widened, not understanding. Even under the influence of alcohol, she had put enough chakra in her attack to destroy a building. The warrior smiled and prepared to attack again. But he stopped when he heard something fall to the ground. He and Tsunade had barely time to see a metal cylinder, a few steps from them, a powerful explosive sound resounded, accompanied by a powerful flash of light that blinded them all.

The warrior roared with rage, his eyes burning and ears whistling. He attacked randomly around him, more to protect himself from a possible attack than by hopes of hitting someone. He saw nothing at all for a while. When he finally regained his sight and hearing, his three targets were gone. He looked all around him, but he found nothing. They were simply gone.

Feeling anger rising in him, he jumped when a squeal came from a small device attached to his belt. A voice gushes, asking, slightly panicked.

"Genkishi! What was that?"

The so-called Genkishi took the rectangular gadget in his hand and said, irritated.

"A Stun Grenade. The traitor was there. This was surely one of the things she stole us when she run away."

"What about the target?"

The assassin grumbled before answering.

"I lost them. I going to search them."

"No. You know the orders. At the first problem, we evacuated the area. And with the innocent victim just now we will already have a lot with Sokora-sama."

Genkishi squeezed hard the gadget, almost on the verge of being crushed. He looked all around him one last time before resigning.

"All right. See you at the extraction point."

"Roger."

The warrior hung up his gadget on his belt and went, arranging his sickle on his back and punching a trash the way.

It was only after a good minute that the back door of the bar opened slightly. The stranger glanced into the alley.

When she felt that the fight was going badly for the sannin and Shizune, she opened her black sweatshirt to take the stun grenade, hidden underneath, hanging from a shoulder belt with other strange objects. She had then throw it and closed her eyes and ears. After that, she quickly grabbed the boozer and Shizune, which held the pig, and pulled them into the back room they just left.

Fortunately, her strategy worked. As she hoped, nobody think to look at the most obvious place, especially when time is short. To go back rather than run randomly was a good idea.

The stranger got rid of the pin from the grenade in a corner of the back room. She then checked her belt to be sure to not have lost anything from her equipment. Aside from the location of the stun grenade, all others, including the fragmentation grenade and smoke grenade ones, were taken. She closed her clothing and made sure that the kunoichi were healthy.

Tsunade was sitting on the floor holding her head. Alcohol and flash associated began to give her a big migraine. Shizune was with her and Tonton finished rubbing his eyes with his paws. This reassured the dark girl, she feared that something worst happened. The kunoichi in black looked at her with inquisitive gaze and questioned.

"Are we safe now?"

"I think we are."

Shizune sighed in relief. Then she turned to the tall blonde.

"Tsunade-sama ... What happened in the street? You never missed a punch ... Even drunk."

"I know." Muttered the woman. "But I assure you I did not restrained myself, even a little."

Tonton thought that the sake had even took away any limitations she had, which worried him even more.

"It is because of the technique of this ninja, Genkishi." Explained the stranger, sitting on the floor, against the wall.

She draws the two kunoichi's attention, more the pig. Shizune clarified.

"You're talking about the tattoos?"

"Exactly." Confirmed the stranger. "He is one of two only person in the world able to use it. I think they call it Munashii No Koutetsu (Armor of the Void)."

The kunoichi were really interested.

"I don't understand anything at all those ninja stuffs ... But if I listened well, when someone knows how to use these tattoos, they allow their holders to not emit or be hurt by chakra."

This revelation shocked the sannin and Shizune, more Tonton. You could see well at their head they could not believe it. Seeing this, the strange girl added.

"Every chakra in contact with his skin is sent into space or something like that. That's why Tsunade's fist did nothing to him. It was like receiving an ordinary attack for him. I understand that it is hard to believe for you. But it's the truth. "

Shizune frowned at the questioning.

"We could probably believe you if you finally decided to tell us who you are."

The stranger sighed, resigned, and lowered the hood of her black sweatshirt, revealing mid-length red hairs adorned with a strand full of wooden bead.

"My name is Rihannon Ashford. I'm here to save your butt and because I need your help."

* * *

Konoha's Prison

Tomorrow morning

The hidden village of Konoha was one of the most powerful of the entire ninja world. But to have a good army was not enough, it also need a great prison system. And that of the Fire Nation had nothing to envy to the others.

Inside the civil prison of the village, a thirteen years old kunoichi, with two red fangs-shaped marks on the face, got down a staircase leading to the basement, in the most isolated corner of the establishment, to a thick iron door.

The ninja, with a prominent nose, knocked on the door with force. After a minute of waiting, a small square peephole opened. It was just big enough to show a wrinkled eye studying the kunoichi before asking, hoarsely.

"What is it?"

The kunoichi showed she had a roll in one hand and announced.

"Hana Inuzuka. I have a document allowing me to speak with one of your prisoner and eventually bring him to the Hokage."

"And who gave you this right, little girl?"

"The Hokage himself."

The person behind the door looked at the kunoichi with suspicion. He closed the peephole. The Inuzuka saw an iron drawer opening in front of her. She inserted to the roll and closed it. She had to wait a moment, which seemed interminable, before finally hear the clicking of the lock.

The metal door creaked loudly, revealing an old ninja, at least fifty years old, wearing a medical jacket over his regular ninja outfit. He let enter the kunoichi in what appeared to be an office, knowing that a twelve year old girl, wearing a hitai ate, was as much a ninja as him. There was a table, writing materials, two chairs and a wardrobe. But the most interesting was the second metal door in the back of the room.

"Wait a minute." The doctor ordered.

He opened his closet and took out one of the six records that was stored there. He read it a moment, thinking aloud.

"My only visit of the month and it is to take out for a trip one of this patients for Big-Hat ... He could at least come to ask me in person"

The young kunoichi did not like at all his pretentious tone.

"You could show some respect to the Sandaime."

"Tsk! You can believe me little one. Being named jailer of this village's crazy ones, it's not a promotion. It give you absolutely no desire to be nice to the one that stick you there."

The young ninja did as if nothing had happen, she was not there to fight with someone she would probably never see again, with a little luck. The cranky doctor took a key from his pocket before going to the back door. The Inuzuka could not help but questioning the old ninja. She had to ask something very important to this patient after all.

"What can you tell me about him?"

The doctor replied, handing her his file before making twists and turns, known only by himself, with the key in the lock of the back door.

"Frankly, if it were up to me, I'll not let you get him out of here. I've never seen such a case. When he think he's alone, he speaks and sings in a weird language doing stupid things as swinging the head in all directions and hit the walls and floor with the fist. and the worst part is that I think his gibberish has a real grammatical construction. "

The door finally opens.

"Well ... He is rather quiet for a week."

The kunoichi frowned, hearing this and reading the file. She had to admit that this man, although very unpleasant, seemed to be a very good doctor. What she read was accurate, if not clear or reassuring. 'Delusions', 'Hallucinations', 'Crises', 'Dreams', 'Nightmare' and 'Refusal to cooperate' was one of the only words she could understood. She worried more and more as she and the doctor went through a long corridor, which included a dozen iron doors.

They stopped at the last door. The doctor, noticing the kunoichi's concern, explained, without compassion.

"Honestly, he is not dangerous. I have psychopaths behind these walls, true ones. But he is anything but a killer or monster. He's the least crazy of all my ... 'patients' . I even feel that he is more sane than many people in this village. "

The ninja with red marks asked.

"Then why is he here? The Hokage just told me that it was necessary."

The Sandaime had also told her she did not need to know. But she hid this detail to make the doctor answer her.

"Because he bothered his former prison's jailers too much. He was in isolation, but not as discrete or lonely that he imagined. As I said, when he thought he was alone, he said stuff and play 'scenes' in his strange language. Like he was at the theatre, playing alone. and every time they saw him, he denied it. Even the guards who punched him to make him speak, or shut up, couldn't make him cooperate. And it was the same with ninjas who interrogated him. Nobody could stand him anymore, he opposed to everyone, even Morino-san. For that fact only I would have locked him up. "

The Inuzuka looked surprised on hearing all this, especially the latest information. She could not help but to smile.

'That may be the man I need, eventually.'

She added, however, realizing what had told the doctor.

"You spoke too much, don't you think ?"

The doctor reminded her.

"Remember: Becoming responsible of this place does not give you the will to please the one who sent you here."

The doctor opened the peephole of the cell, and a small gate to hear what was happening inside. Then he let Hana look through. Discovering a room that had a light bulb, walls with matress and a single futon. The 'patient' was lying quietly on it, moving his arms and fingers as if holding a musical instrument, singing in his incomprehensible language.

_So close, no matter how far_

_Could not be much more from the heart_

_Forever Trusting who we are_

_And nothing else matters_

_Never cared for what They Do_

_Never cared for what They Know_

_But I know_

The ninja did a nod to the doctor. He inserted his key in the door and opened it. When they entered, they saw the young prisoner sitting on his bed, looking at both of them surprised and slightly frightened. He seemed really dreaded why they opened his cage.

By observing more closely than through the peep hole, the Inuzuka was a little surprised. She had to admit that the Hokage did not lied to her, he was special. His clothes, with wolves in a snowy forest, his blue pants, and two bizarre pendants, made him look suspect. Especially as his brown messy hair gave him a much neglected look.

The doctor reassured his 'patient'.

"Calm down little. You have visit. And maybe even a way to get out."

The young man drew back, very surprised. The kunoichi stepped forward and spoke to him with the less threatening voice possible.

"Steven Ryan ... I'm Hana Inuzuka. I am here to ask your help."

To say that the young man was shocked was an understatement. He and the doctor every two raised an eyebrow.

* * *

That's all folks ^^

This chapter is completed. Next time, Steven Ryan is here for a whole new level. The Inuzuka clan needs him.

The next time, I look forward to hearing your views on this chapter and the one of "Frozen".

No references here :-P


	8. Chapter 8

Music:

_Imperial March_ – Star Wars OST

* * *

Chapter 8

Steven was really fed up with all this. He was, again, sitting on a chair at a table in a room without windows, waiting for them to come to talk whit him. The doctor said it was the procedure to put him here, waiting for him to finish some boring things. So he spent a long half-hour, the head supported by an arm, tapping the table, humming the Imperial March from Star Wars. So that his visitor's entrance would have the appropriate background music.

The worst was that, even doing this in a loop, he didn't seem tired of it.

Eventually, the young kunoichi with red marks returned, with a severe and cold air, and sat facing the geek. Delighted, and not stopping mumbling, Steven thought.

'It worth it. Total synchronization of the girl and the music. '

She looked straight in his eyes for a moment, waiting for him to stops humming. Except that the young man did not stop, and he did not seem willing to do it. The situation seemed more to amuse him. After a few minutes, annoyed, the kunoichi thought.

'Does he not care about me because I'm younger than him?'

The Inuzuka remained calm and cleared her throat.

"Mr. Ryan ... Can you stop singing, please?"

" Nope."

The ninja was surprised.

"Why?"

"Because it's fun. It's exactly like what I'm seeing and the fact that you're small make it so funny."

The Inuzuka raised her voice a little, angry.

"Do not treat me like a kid. I'm an official Genin of Konoha."

"How old are you?" Cut the geek.

"Uh ... Thirteen years old."

"So you ARE a Child. And it's not the fact that you can kill me on a hundred different ways that will change that."

The kunoichi frowned. She understood now what the doctor meant by 'Nobody liked him.' He seemed to say and do whatever he has in mind without caring about the consequences, for himself and the others.

"So you have no respect for the ninjas?" Questioned the kunoichi, rather irritated.

It was the turn of geek to frown.

"The ninjas you're mentioning put me several months into this jail, without windows or right to get outs, getting bored as a dead rat and be questioned as if I was an idiot. To this I add the food which was only rice, the boredom, horrible futon, more boredom, the screams of my neighbor across the coridor, even more boredom, the fact that someone took one of my stuff, interrogated me, almost tortured me several times, and, more important, boredom boredom boredom BOREDOOOOM ! "

The geek was practically screaming at the end of his list, his head in his hands. What impressed the little Inuzuka, tensed in her chair.

Steven seemed to relax. He sighed and concluded.

"So frankly, you expect that i will be friendly with your famous ninjas after that?"

The young kunoichi had to admit that she didn't know how to answer at that. But she could not believe that he had been put there without reason.

"If we put you there," suggested the kunoichi. "it is for a reason. Don't you think?"

Steven told her, still annoyed.

"Kid, the only things I did, before being placed here, it's running around, help a child feeling less alone and save the day of a family man. If you consider that being clueless, friendly and intelligent are crimes, I guess I have good reason to be there. "

The Genin lowered her eyes a little. She found, indeed, no good reason to detained, especially in an asylum. The Hokage had refused to tell her why he was locked up, only that it was a preventive measure.

'If he was really dangerous, he would not even have let me talk to him.' Thought Hana. 'And I can understand why he's is not very happy if what he said is true. '

She had no way to be sure. But she trust her instincts, deciding to believe him. Especially as had gone too far now. She calmed down, looked down, and then asked, almost imploring.

"Mr. Ryan. I understand that you have no reason to appreciate people like me... But if I'm here, it is because Me and my clan ... well mostly me and my little brother, we need your help. "

The Geek chuckled a little.

"You must be completely hopeless."

"... Indeed." Confirmed the little girl, looking at the floor.

Feeling she had a real sorrow, hidden under an iron discipline, Steven calmed his temperament. Then he listened to her. It was very difficult for her to express what she meant without crying. She took a deep breath and told him.

"Our father is dead."

This Information saddened a little the geek. Not as much as would have been someone else, but enough to express condolences, she accepted it and thanked him. She continued.

"He was called Kuro Inuzuka ... He was murdered."

This time, the geek was a little surprised. But his surprise was even greater when he realized what the girl was doing here.

"Wait a minute..." interrupted Steven. "You're not here because you want me to investigate as I did with the Hasaki?"

The Inuzuka said nothing for a moment. Then she made an approving nod.

Steven retched. She wanted him to investigate on a murder! Forgetting that she could get him out of here, he tried to dissuade her.

"You ... you kidding right ? I have never investigated on a murder. And your dear ninjas must already have suspects."

He thought, especially with their interrogation methods, they would solve this case in a flash.

The kunoichi confessed.

"They have a suspect ... But it is our mother."

Steven did not know what to say. The girl continued.

"Our parents separated shortly after the birth of my brother, Kiba. And in the opinion of everyone ... It was her who would have made him run away. Every time they met, it start a quarrel. A few days ago, he returned from a mission. They met and, apparently, have spoken a few days ago. She is the last person to have seen him alive. "

The kunoichi had difficulty to continue. Steven could clearly see it.

"Now everyone is against her ... Or rather, no one wants to help. They believe she is the culprit. But that's WRONG!"

The Inuzuka was really angry. Steven had a slight feeling of déjà vu, flooded with compassion. He then asked the girl, at his own risk.

"And what makes you say that she is not?"

"I know it. That's all."

The Geek hesitated.

"Um ... I know it's not easy, but that does not prove anything."

The kunoichi seemed about to explode. If it was an ordinary ninja or doctor, he would not care about making her angry. But Steven did not have the heart to hurt a grieving child. He then changed the subject.

"And why do you ask ME this?"

The Genin looked at him and declared.

"A few days ago, my brother told me that he spoke with the Hasaki's daughter, Tenten. She had learned that he had lost his father. When they met, she spoke to him, to comfort a little. "

'Still adorable.' Steven thought.

"And when he got angry, he explained that our mother was accused, and how he believed she was innocent. Tenten-Kun told him about what happened to her father, how you helped him."

Steven remembered perfectly that day.

"So he came back home, talked about it to me and our uncle Gaku, the younger brother of our father and temporary head of the clan. Kiba deafened us to come to you. Our uncle was not very interested, he said he had heard about you and that it was not a good idea because you were ... in jail. "

The geek looked up at the sky.

"So, desperate I confess, I insisted too. He relented and gave me a message for the Hokage."

Remembering that old man provoked a brief anger grin to Steven.

"When I saw him, we talked about you and I begged to let me talk to you. He finally agreed and here I am."

The kunoichi sighted deeply. To talk about this case was not easy.

The young Londoner was, however, quite intrigued. A detail was wrong in this story.

'I do not know what ... "he mused. 'But it's as watching an episode almost finished of an American series, I have the impression that everything is too clean, it lacks an important element ,which is unknown but will change many things.'

Steven then asked to the young Inuzuka, on a tone, to her astonishment, more understanding.

"You can tell me about your mother please?"

The kunoichi told him.

"She's called Tsume Inuzuka. She is the head of our clan ... anyway it was until she was accused. If she's condemned, it will be our uncle. Everyone think she's too harsh, impatient, or even savage. She sometimes argue with people, but never without a good reason. She is devoted to the village. She would give her life for it. I do not understand how everyone can possibly think that. "

Steven thought.

'Strangely, I already like that woman.'

Hana said.

"Tomorrow will be the trial. You must ..."

"Wait! TOMORROW? !"

To say that Steven was shocked was an understatement. He continued.

"You really think I'm going to get out of here and clear your mother, if she is innocent, in twenty-four hours? You think I'm Flash or what?"

The kunoichi seemed uncomfortable. As much because she did not know what he was talking about that because she was embarrassed.

"I thought ... You helped Tenten's father in only two hours ..."

The geek had never thought about this detail. He had not realized that he solved the Hasaki case so fast. Oddly, a day did not seem so short finally. But a murder ... it was something different than a gambling problem. The Inuzuka clarified.

"The Hokage told me that if I thought you could help me, I had the right to bring to him, to agreed, or not, to let you go out to help us. "

The Londoner knew it was too simple. He asked.

"And you think I can help you?"

"Absolutely!" Asserted the girl. "I talked to the Hasaki. They told me how you cleared Akahiko-san. I didn't believed it first but they swore it was the truth. So yes, I think you can help me."

Steven thought with despair.

'She seems to expect a lot from me, as Tenten did. And it woyld be cool to get out of here. But why would this old grumpy man accept a request from a kid about a guy he has put himself in prison? '

This provoked a click in his head. the missing element appeared.

He looked at her straight in the eyes. She was waiting for a response.

'I do not know if I can help ...' reasoned the geek. 'But I'll do my best, especially if it can finally allow me to see the sunlight ... Fortunately I did not say that on the net, the Geeks of the entire world would have treated me like an Heretic. '

Steven smiled gently and said.

"Very well ... Inuzuka-kun. I do not know what I can do for you, but I agree to give you a hand."

The kunoichi was very surprised. Then a smile appeared on her face.

* * *

Hokage's Office

Later

Steven was, this time, sitting in front of the person he liked the least of this village. The old man and the young person were staring each other without tenderness. The tension between them was palpable.

The young Inuzuka dared not break the silence. She almost expected them to attack each others.

That's when the Hokage ordered the kunoichi to leave for a moment.

"Hana, let us for a moment."

She obeyed immediately, but not without fear. She feared what would happen in this room, in her absence. the future of his mother was at stake after all.

Once the Genin went out, the two men continued to stare each other. It is finally the Sandaime who broke the silence.

"Looks like you attract children in tears Mr. Ryan."

The Geek laugh.

"Trust me. I'm the first to see the ridiculous and repetitive side of all this."

'It feel like a new Call of Duty' thought Steven 'Exactly the same as before but with new graphics.'

He added, smiling and relaxing, hands behind the head.

"Whatever, if it can permit me to get out..."

"Because you are already convinced that I will let you go?" Asked the old ninja, intrigued.

"I am sure you will."

"Why?"

Steven replied happily.

"Just because you really want to see me succeed."

Surprised, the Hokage frowned and let him continue.

"I understood everything when I asked myself why the ninja leader of this village would ask a guy, that he put himself in jail, because of a little girl. The answer was clear, remembering all that Hana told me about this case. "

The Sandaime seemed to listen carefully now.

"It's Hana's uncle, Gaku, the victim's little brother and temporarily Inuzuka clan chief, who sent her to you. But if he really wanted me to help her step-sister, Tsume Inuzuka, he would have come in person. The leader of the Clan, even temporarily, has more power than a thirteen years old Genin. If he sent her, it can only mean one thing : he did not really want to see me. He's not very excited at the idea to clear his brother's ex-wife. Certainly because he believes she is the culprit, and also, perhaps, because he would love to be a leader. I do not have many things to confirm this, but the idea is that he did not want to improve the chances of Miss Tsume to get out. So he sent his niece with a message for you. I suppose he had written to not pay attention to the desperate cry of a little girl. "

Steven told his reasoning with some pride, he had to admit, while the Hokage listened without flinching. But the teenager continued softening his face.

"But you, you understood what was going on. And if you accepted that she sees me, it's probably because you believe that Tsume is innocent ... and you are conscious to beg the only one think that. So, knowing my ability, thanks to little Hana who discovered it from the Hasaki, you said it worth a try. You could increased the chances to clear Tsume, and not giving the impression to use your authority but your compassion, to get me out and react against the attitude of your ninjas, and especially Gaku Inuzuka, that you think is deplorable. "

Steven sighed.

"And I have to admit, even if it's more to help you that let me out, that your attitude seems respectable to me."

This last sentence pretty surprised the Sandaime. The ninja and the geek stood for a moment without speaking. The Hokage finally said, while preparing his pipe.

"I see that your reputation is not usurped. We questioned all those to whom you spoke before your arrest ... The way you solved the Hasaki problem, I admit, impressed me. "

Steven interrupted with sarcasm.

"So much that you put me in a cell and try to kill me with your mind excavation techniques, of course."

The Hokage smoked his pipe before to confess.

"It was not supposed to happen like this. Normally, the technique we use make chakra pass through the suspect's memory before to sent it in Yamanaka-san's spirit. But, strangely, you have much less chakra than a normally constituted person. you've finished completely emptied in a second. We could not predict it. And to be honest, we even have some troubles understanding how you can even be alive with so few energy. So few that Yamanaka-san couldn't see your memories. "

This revelation left Steven doubtful.

'It's probably because I come from another world.' Steven reasoned. 'We must have a very short reserve there, since we do not use it. Or it's because of the way we live ... Where are the scientists when we REALLY need them? '

He added, with a little more annoyance.

"Let's say I trust you. You really needed to take my pentacle? The blue sky even. This is one of my favorite. It really pissed me."

The old ninja cleared his throat, specifying.

"Um ... Yes, I am aware of your ... Small crisis ..."

"Small crisis? I was so angry that I almost eat my cell's bar like Gajeel and screamed half of the Lovecraftian pantheon unintentionally."

Again, the ninja could not understand what he was talking about. But the Sandaime continued, clearing his throat, considering that it was probably a cultural difference.

"Hmm ... But my shinobi told me thay didn't took anything from you."

"Yeah sure! I lost consciousness, was locked in a tiny windowless room by your ninjas and woke up without a necklace that I really love by pure coincidence."

"I assure you I am not aware of anything." Insisted the Sandaime without losing his composure.

The young man, still not convinced, just stood up and say.

"Whatever. So, do you let me go?"

The Sandaime smoked again. Then he called the small Inuzuka. The kunoichi came into the office and stood close to Steven. The old chief replied abroad.

"I'll give you a special permission to move inside Konoha, but only accompanied by someone. Everything you'll do during your" parole "will be reported to me by that person and must serve to help the investigation about the murder of Inuzuka Kuro. And officially, it will be that agent which will investigate and you'll be a consultant. The ninja will answer any questions you would have and help you go in places and perform actions authorized by its rank. No special treatment. This should allow you to investigate without too many obstacles. "

Steven clarified.

"You want to especially avoid putting yourself in too delicate position by rumors that you put a prisoner, from the asylum, on a murder case."

The Hokage told him.

"That's wrong. Just letting you out, to participate in the survey , will make me need to tell some explanations. By formally putting a ninja in order to monitor you and 'control your actions', I limit the risk of questioning your discoveries. "

Steven had to admit that he did not understood it that way. Even if he did not like the idea of being under surveillance, it seemed an understandable and acceptable choice.

"Very well." Accepted the geek. "We have a deal. Who will assist me ? Well ... chaperoning me?"

The Hokage put some ashes in his ashtray and admitted.

"You were right saying that I was going to get you out. So I called a kunoichi perfect for this situation. We needed someone who could be effective during an investigation, for example a person knowing how to interrogate, and could resist to your horrible personality. "

Steven growled suddenly. The young Inuzuka, delighted that the Hokage accepted her request, was anxious to see what ninja would help her to save her mother.

"She must ..." The Hokage heard someone knocking at the door. "Oh! Perfect. Come in!"

The door opened on a kunoichi in large beige coat with purple hair slightly resembling a pineapple, and dressed in a short skirt and mesh on the torso.

"Excuse me Sandaime." She said standing in front of the desk, near Steven. "I had not finished my Dangos."

Knowing that he couldn't stand between her and the Dangos, as between Naruto and ramen, the old ninja passed quickly to the presentations.

"Mr. Ryan, I present you Mitarashi Anko, kunoichi from Torture and Interrogation Department. She is the one who will be keeping an eye on you and will be officially responsible of the case. I explained everything to her in a scroll. "

The kunoichi turned to the stranger, who looked at her curiously, and pronounced by examining the geek.

"So it's you? I are not as I imagined ... You're even more bizarre."

She chuckled a little. But Steven did not react, he had a strange feeling looking at this Kunoichi. He faced her, observing under the prying eyes of the ninjas.

"Didn't we met before?" He Asked.

Anko had an amused afflicted face.

"You don't think to soften me with such a lame flirt technique?" She asked.

"No, I swear. I feel that we already met."

Anko lost her smile, looking more closely, and frowned saying.

"Now that you say this ... it's true that you seems familiar..."

The two looked at each other for a moment, searching into their memory. Then, they widened the eyes suddenly, before exclaiming, for the kunoichi.

"My Dangos !"

And Steven.

"THE MONSTER !"

In less than a second, a chase begun in the corridors of the building, with a geek and a wild enraged kunoichi, literally armed to the teeth with kunai.

"Who did you called monster?!" She bellowed.

"PLEASE!" Steven cried. "Zombies, Freddy Krueger, even Daleks ... BUT NOT HEEEEEEEER !"

"COME BACK HERE THAT I SKIN YOU ALIVE !"

"SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee ... !"

In Hokage's office, the young Inuzuka, completely shocked, asked to her superior.

"Uh ... Sandaime ... what do we do?"

The old ninja seemed as surprised than her. But he recovered his composure and said to the Genin.

"Do not worry. Catch then and calm down Mitarashi-San. In two minutes the young man will collapse from exhaustion and Anko will take the opportunity to kill him. Go ahead."

Hana, on the verge of panic, began to run. But before leaving the room, she turned and questioned the Sandaime.

"Hokage-Sama. Did you really tortured Steven in prison?"

The Hokage arched an eyebrow replicating.

"That's what he told you?"

"He said you 'almost' torturde him actually."

The applicant explained.

"True, but you do not have to worry. We 'almost' did it, but it did not happen."

The Inuzuka smiled in relief. Then she took advantage of another passage of the rowdy duo to start catching up. The Hokage sighed, thinking.

'I wish I had told her the truth but ... I do not think this is a good idea to tell a girl that her savior was not tortured just because he fainted every time he saw one of our instruments. '

The Sandaime took out a photo album from one of his drawers. He opened it to see photos of the Tsume and Kuro Inuzuka's wedding. A very good memory. At that time, he would have thought impossible their separation. Everyone came to the event, including former brother in arms. He looked at one of the photo, with some curiosity. He had forgotten who was that dry silhouette with black dress standing near him on it. The Hokage took the picture and read what was written on the back.

'Inuzuka Marriage: Hiruzen Sarutobi and Sokora Takeshi.'

When this name came back to him, it brought him less happy memories.

* * *

Finished ^^

I promised myself to write less descriptively, but when I see the size of my chapters, I wonder if I can do it XD

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. ^^ Do not hesitate to leave a little review in the process.

Next time, Steven leads the investigation again (I'll try to do it in a single chapter to see)

Chapter 2 of "The Queen, the Geek and the Princess ", Steven's adventure in the world of Frozen, is online. Follow it if you are interested. Especially as in this one, Steven meets Elsa. ;-)

List of references:

Star Wars, Flash, Call of Duty, Fairy Tail, Cthulhu Mythos, Nightmare on Elm Street, Doctor Who


	9. Chapter 9

Hello everyone

This is the moment you've all been waiting: the new Steven Ryan's case.

I'm sorry for the delay I had a busy week and a big lack of inspiration.

I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I am using a new system for the geek's references. I realized that no one could know everything and trying to use things that everybody knew was going to limit me in the story. :- /

So I will continue to watch out but now I'd probably make references to more games, movies and different stories. And at the end of each chapter, I will put the list of stories that Steven has referenced. Some titles will often appears but at least you can do your little research if I inspired your curiosity. ;-)

It's the same for the music, there will not be only Metallica or Nirvana or Doctor Who's opening. I'm going to use groups that you may probably not heard about (surely) but it will allow you to discover new things XD

So good reading ;-)

* * *

Chapter 9

If someone had told Steven that the day of his release would have give him the desire to return in jail, he would have bet his entire One Piece collection that it would be wrong ... and lost it miserably.

It was not far One p.m and the young geek was sitting in a restaurant, staring into the void, tapping on the table. Hana Inuzuka was sitting next to him, and in other circumstances, would have prayed to all the spirits of the world to be elsewhere. She was drinking a hot green tea without daring to look up. Because every time she did, she discovers a kunoichi, chewing sticks of Dangos, whose eyes were so dark and piercing that her animal instinct was screaming to flee with his tail between the legs.

After facing the goddess of death herself, Hana had managed to prevent the kunoichi Mitarashi to use her kunai on different, really unpleasant, places of her savior, taking advantage of his lamentable exhaustion. She had for this, remind her that his monitoring was a mission from the Hokage himself ... That did not work, so she had to propose to discuss it, calmly, eating some Dangos.

The kunoichi was very interested at this moment. She had already eaten, but, like a little blond, it was never enough when it came to her favorite dish. So she walked to the restaurant, leaving to Hana the burden to pull Steven like a sack.

Now the kunoichi was on her fourth Dango and nobody tried to start the conversation.

In fact, it was Hana who dared not do so. Steven seemed, since he get his breath back, simply to not care at all about what was happening around him. And Anko, eating, looked more to think about new ways to torture just for the young man.

But she had to say something. Time was running out for her mother. So she took her courage in both hands and talked to her savior.

"So Rai-san ... Where are you from?"

"Far away." He replied automatically.

"Okay, but where exactly?"

"Very far away and that's all I will say."

This dampen the small Inuzuka. Steven is clearly understood that to invent a story was useless with the ninjas, in addition to being really boring to imagine, he preferred send away with a flea in their ear the people who would asked about his origins. Or to give half of the truth. Six months in a cell, after being careful about what he said, had crushed his will to be subtle.

"It's not very nice you know." Insisted the Genin.

The geek looked at her asking.

"Would you prefer that I tell you that I came with a weird box from another dimension by following one of my teachers who happens to be a scientific genius? ... Besides to seemed like the beginning of a Doctor Who's Season, you would not believe me, I'm wrong? "

The Inuzuka seemed completely lost.

"Uh ... no."

"So be content with Very far away."

The Genin did not know what to think. Thinking he was making fun of her, she swallowed her anger and continued, desiring more than anything to change the atmosphere.

"But you speak our language. I would have thought that a place... so far away ... would have a different one."

"_That's indeed the case, kid_." Steven said, in English.

The kunoichi and Genin seemed confused.

"It means 'That's indeed the case, kid.' " But I knew quite your language before coming and I perfected with my ...doctor. It was a break from the questions to the crazy ones to give me lessons, including about chakra to not be too much confuse. "

Seeing that Mitarashi appeared to have calmed, Hana asked her.

"And you Mitarashi-san, how long have you been in T&amp;I Department?"

"Six months." Anko replied. "I remember it well because six months ago, there's a weird guy who overthrew the best Dangos mountain I've ever had."

"Not again..." Steven moaned wearily. "I already apologized for that. And you told me that you forgive me."

"No! I told you to not ever cross my path!"

"And I intended to do it. Only a masochist twould like to be hunted by the Nemesis from Resident Evil 3."

The Genin panicked, realizing that she added fuel to the fire, while Mitarashi was disoriented by the geek's "cultural reference". Hana took the opportunity to directly talk about the main topic.

"So Rai-san, what do we do for my mother?"

This calmed the two teenagers, which was a relief for the little girl. Steven sighed and proposed.

"The best thing to begin with would be to see the victim's body, right?"

This idea was not very pleasant for Hana, but she knew it was inevitable. Anko saw the sad face of the child and remembered her mission. She looked at the stranger, who was staring at her, waiting for a response. She finally swallowed her anger and stand up blowing.

"Very well." She agreed. "Follow me. I'll take you to the morgue."

This idea gave Gooseflesh to Steven.

* * *

Konoha's Hospital

Mortuary

'Calm down Steven.' Reassured himself the geek in thought. ' Okay there's dead people in behinf those iron doors ... But I'm not in Walking Dead, so everything should be fine. '

Steven was waiting in the autopsy room with Anko, one of the doctors was searching Kuro Inuzuka's body. The Geek suggested Hana to wait outside. She gladly accepted. She had no desire to enter anyway.

The young man struggled to relax among the dead ones, and the chemical smells made him feel sick. The kunoichi noticed it and took the opportunity to have fun asking.

"Not feeling well, Miss?"

"I'm.. Fine." Tried the young man. "Do not worry about me, I've seen worse in horror movies and games."

"What?"

"Don't mind. Just know that after The Thing, the Freddy Krueger's saga and Dead Space, I can bear anything."

"The ... the ... What ?! Can you speak normally?"

"That's what I just did."

A sound in the air and Steven had a slash on his cheek. He felt pain and had a retch by touching his wound and saw the blood on his fingers.

"Are you messing with me?" Questioned threateningly the kunoichi.

Steven looked her in the eyes and bellowed.

"Are you Crazy ?!"

Anko sighed and said with affliction.

"Don't be a sissy men, you will not even have a scar."

Before the discussion could become worst, a ninja doctor with a goatee entered the room pushing a cart covered with a white sheet.

"Hey! Would you kindly not do this." He asked quietly. "After, it's me who has to clean up."

The doctor gave Steven something to disinfect his wound before gently remove the white tissue, revealing a man with a triangular face, two red marks under the eyes and smooth black hairs.

When he saw the body, Steven was paralyzed. Anko noticed his reaction and asked him.

"This is the first time you see a dead man?"

Steven seemed to relax a bit before admitting, in a rather heavy voice.

"No ... But it's not really the same as with a family member."

Anko looked slightly surprised. She hesitated a little before daring to ask.

"Who ?"

"... My grandfather ... Whatever." The Geek turned to the ninja-doctor. "What is the cause of his death please?"

This one, reluctant to tell this to a stranger, opened a file and declared.

"Electrocution. His brain is literally boiled."

This surprised Steven, but the doctor continued before he could express his amazement.

"We found this burn marks on his back and his neck." He held two photos of the said injuries to Mitarashi, with the file. "Someone used a kind of Raiton jutsu against him."

"Lightning Style?" Steven questioned before turning to Mitarashi. "Is Inuzuka Tsume of this affinity?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I've seen her use this kind of Justus. Associated with her war dogs, it's pretty devastating. She's not the Clan's leader for nothing."

" 'Was'." Clarified the doctor.

Steven had a piercing gaze towards him. He apparently was one of the people convinced of Tsume's guilt.

"I don't understand what you hope to find." Said the doctor. "I already told everything to the Uchihas."

Steven looked to Mitarashi, who anticipated his question.

"This is the clan in charge of the police in the village."

The Geek then carefully watched the pictures of the injuries. The two red marks on the skin were pretty ugly. He seemed to have been bitten, and there was redness around them.

The geek looked one last time at the corpse, whose face seemed strangely peaceful. The more he looked, the more he wondered how it was possible. Had he not suffered before dying? The stranger then made a nod to Mitarashi and they began to leave, Anko declaring.

"I keep the autopsy report."

The doctor was surprised, but he did not opposed to it.

Steven and the kunoichi got out of the hospital. They found the little Inuzuka, sitting under a tree with some sad face. When she saw them out, she joined them and asked.

"So? Did you find something?"

"Easy little one." Tempered Mitarashi. "We just had the autopsy report, we need a little time."

The Genin bowed her head and mumbled.

"Yes ... But my mother don't have time."

Steven saw the pain on Hana's face and the hurt in her heart. The more he spend time with her, the more he was determined to help her. Even if he was afraid to fail or make mistakes, he could not restrain the flow of energy rising inside of him. He didn't want to see this face on the child anymore.

The geek was surprised when he heard a small barking. The three turned to found a small boy, of six or seven years old, running towards them behind a puppy. The child was screaming.

"Onee-chan!"

"Kiba-kun? Akamaru?" Wondered the girl.

The little boy and his dog stopped in front of them, visibly short of breath. This scene seemed familiar to Steven.

"Kiba, what are you doing here?" Hana asked irritably. "I tell you to stay in the clan's domain."

"It was too boring." Spat the child. "I also want to save mom."

The puppy barked.

"Yeah I mean 'we'."

"Uh ..." Tried Steven. "Sorry to interrupt, but "... Who are they?"

Hana sighed with irritation and informed him.

"It's my little brother, Kiba, and Akamaru, his partner."

Steven questioned Mitarashi with curiosity.

"Partner?"

"All Inuzukas have a dog as a partner. They are entrusted to them early in their lives, to make them accustomed to Chakra. They can used it, smell it and share it with their master."

"But Hana ... What about you?" Asked the geek.

"I have three dogs, but our Uncle didn't want me to take them. He wanted them to stay to guard the domain until this... problem is solved ..."

It was quite logical for Steven. Their clan was in a very unstable position, with a death and their leader accused of murder. The culprit, if it was not Tsume, could very well come there for many sorts of reasons that the geek had in mind.

Then he noticed, like the others, that the puppy was at his feet, staring at him. That intrigued everyone.

'Well ... I really have a big sense of déjà vu.' He thought.

Then, at the moment the puppy began to show its teeth, Steven remembered, with an horrified face.

The jumped on Steven's ankle and bit hard.

"... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !" Steven bellowed, waving his leg in all directions. "LET ME GO FILTHY BEAST! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

This surprise attack took all the others completely by surprise.

"Wh ... What ?!" Exclaimed the girl. "Stop Akamaru!"

Steven struggled with all his might. But the puppy didn't let go until he did, full of rage, a large leg gesture to the sky like Sanji that propelled the filthy beast in the air.

"AKAMARUUUUU !" Panicked young Inuzuka.

It ran in all directions looking at the sky to finally catch the animal. Both sigh of relief. Steven, looking shocked, as if he couldn't understand, or even believe what he had just done.

'Did I have done something purely... like in a Manga?' He asked himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by the outraged exclamations of the little boy.

"Are you Crazy, you bastard ?!"

Steven could only respond violently.

"It's me who should say that! Your dog bitten me! I hope for you that I will not catch rabies or T-virus"

"I dunno what it is but Akamaru surely has not!"

"Waf! Grrrr!"

Steven thought.

"No surprise geeks prefers Cats! '

"Kiba" Called the big sister. "Show some respect for the one who attempt to help us!"

"What are you talking about Onee-chan? I thought you were going to look to the super great guy that the other with her buns told me about."

"HE IS Steven Ryan!"

The little chap seemed surprised. He looked to the annoyed geek from foot to head with large eyes. Then he declared.

"You can't be serious? The girl spoke of a strange but cool guy. Not a ladle bastard with a cheesy hairstyle."

The Geek replied with a punch that sent the child and his dog on the ground.

"MY VESSALIUS HAIRCUT IS PERFECT YOU BRAT !"

There followed a noisy and dusty fight between Steven, Kiba and Akamaru, Anko and Hana watching stunned. It needed the intervention of the kunoichi, which meant cuts and a dark aura, to make the trio calm down.

Hana finally asked with a sigh.

"Kiba-kun, go home now."

"Nah. I want to help Mom."

"We'll do it. But for now, you are slowing us down."

"If you stopped to give me orders, we could move forward."

Hana was doing a tremendous effort to not explode with rage.

Steven looked at the little boy. His determination was blatant, as his rage. He was furious. Furious that everyone was against his mother and he couldn't do nothing for her. The boy was quite in tears. Understanding that, Steven felt as bad as with Hana. He sighed and had to declare, somewhat reluctantly.

"It's okay, let him come with us."

This shocked everyone, including the dog.

"Wait you're not serious, aren't you ?!" Anko objected.

Steven explained.

"I've seen characters like him in hundreds of stories. Whatever you say he will follow us. You prefer that he does it secretly or being where you can keep an eye on him?"

Hana and kunoichi did not know what to say. They knew he was right, but they would have really preferred to find a way to make him go. Kiba seemed intrigued. He couldn't believe that the one with whom he fought five minutes before would take his defense.

Steven looked at the child in the eyes, Akamaru growled softly, and told them.

"Kid... The fact that you do not like me, you and your dog, is your problem. But, no matter you like it or not, I promise I will get your mother out of this mess. And Steven Ryan ALWAYS keeps His promises. "

This statement surprised everyone. But, more importantly, it gave a smile to Hana and Mitarashi. It was the first time they saw him say something so positive. They had felt his sincerity and determination. Kiba, however, did not know what to say. He too had felt it, but he did not know how to react.

The young Londoner cleared his throat and said to Anko.

"Well, after the victim, the crime scene. You guide us Mitarashi-san?"

She said nothing for a moment. Then she sighed and passed by telling the geek.

"Just Anko is fine... Follow me guys."

* * *

The group was on the crime scene quickly. Anko showed them an hidden place among the trees, near one of the training grounds. Unlike any investigations that Steven had seen on TV, there was nothing. No papers, ribbons or lines. Nothing but trees and earth.

"Oookay." Steven dropped. "We are very far from CSI's level, but will have to do with that."

"Uh ... What's CSI ?" Kiba risked.

"I don't want to explain. But let's say if they were there, this crime scene would be more organized."

"You have a problem with our methods?" Anko growled.

"WHAT methods?" Indicated the geek. "There's nothing that delimit the area, indicates where the body was, where were the clues, NOTHING ... In short, nada, nothing, the Void, the brain of a reality-show star ..."

"Stop with your references that nobody understand!" Grumbled the kunoichi. "And why would we 'delimit' the area?"

Geek advised, as if saying something obvious to an idiot.

"To not let civilians walking on the crime scene and destroy clues or leave stuff that would send us on a wild-goose chase."

Anko was on the verge of yelling at him, but she hitched and stuttered at the thought that what Steven had said made sense. Savoring her deliciously confused face, Steven was smiling of contentment ... What more annoyed Anko and made her, gasping, do an arm lock on the geek.

"OWOWOWOWOW!"

"Make that smile disappear and forget what you saw!" Ordered the kunoichi.

"NEVER! This is etched in my memory as an FF7's backup."

"YOU WANT TO LOSE YOUR ARM? !"

" OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"

The Inuzuka children screamed.

"ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO SAVE OUR MOTHER ?!"

The ninja and the geek suddenly stopped. Remembering why they were there.

Anko dropped his victim, who then asked what she knew about the crime scene.

The ninja took a parchment from her pocket, read it, and showed him where the body was lying.

"It was here, laying sprawled on his stomach. This is one of our ninja, Maito Gay, who found him last night, about two a.m. He was doing a night jogging ... apparently."

'A jogging in the middle of the night?' Steven thought with amazement. 'There's so much more interesting things to do at night. Like sleeping or watching Anime ... Oh yes it is true that they have no Anime here... Poor guys.'

The kunoichi continued.

"He heard strange noises and a voice, and approached. He then heard a small explosion and found the body. It is thought that it was a Shunshin no Jutsu, the technique of instantaneous displacement. confirming that it was a ninja who did it. "

Steven recorded this information, then Anko said.

"There is two sets of footprints, his own and another one. But no sign of struggle."

"So he came to meet someone." Steven says. "Someone he knew well enough to see privately and turn his back without being on guard."

Anko frown with curiosity while Steven posed on one knee to see the footprints closer. He deduced aloud.

"If he came here, alone, without his dog , that mean he trusted him or her. They were probably talking about something very important. Something one of them didn't want to be discovered. That's why they talked here and not at the Inuzuka's domain or a simpler place. "

Steven looked in the direction that previously pointed the body.

"No sign of a struggle and the injuries were on his back. He had wanted to leave but the other did not accepted it. The most logical answer would be ..."

Steven thought a moment, under the puzzled eyes of his teammates. He concluded.

"There is two different possibility in fact: The other person waited quietly and planned to kill him... Either he made a proposal that Kuro-San denied and he killed him to not take the risk that it would be discovered by anybody else. But he could not take the body because of Maito-San. "

"But it is only theories." Admitted Mitarashi. "Nothing else."

"Obviously ..." Steven admitted with a sigh. "What else did you find?"

Anko sighed by arranging the roll.

"Unfortunately nothing. No Kunai or anything else. And the prints are those of standard ninja sandals. Everybody has this model."

"And I guess if we are there, it means that Tsume-San has no alibi."

"No indeed." This info quite saddened the Inuzuka children. "She has talked to her ex-husband at midnight. She picked him in a bar, where he was playing with his friends, and the report say that they quarreled again. The people can confirm it, Tsume screamed so much that the whole neighborhood woke up. Then she said that they separated and she returned to the domain, but nothing formally proved. "

Steven thoughts about all this but found no logical idea that could exonerate Tsume.

"There's the theory of the evil clone who wants to stop his original but I have not noticed anything showing that you have sufficient technology. In addition it is too obvious."

"How is it obvious?" Questioned Hana and Anko, a drop on their forehead.

"It's completely stupid!" Kiba said

"WAF!" Confirmed the small dog.

The Geek got mad and ordered.

"Instead of criticizing me, help me find clues!"

His Colleagues regained their calm and set to work. They searched everywhere, including in the trees, thanks to the Anko's capacity to walk on all surfaces. Thus, they searched in the area for over an hour without finding anything. But when all began to lose hope, Hana noticed something shiny caught in a bush. She then called everyone.

When all were assembled, the Genin showed them her discovery: A small metal cylinder, barely half a finger length, provided with a fairly hooked sting, like a tiny harpoon. He was clinging to a small branches, for his hook, and a long wire was tied to it.

"What is it?" Kiba asked.

"No idea." Recognized his sister. "And you Rai-san? You know?"

Steven went and looked at the object closely. He watched very carefully and noticed a tiny red spot on. He passed the hook to Anko asking.

"Is it blood?"

Anko examined the object and confessed.

"Hard to say. I could say for sure if I licked it but there wouldn't stay anything."

Steven was both chilling, imagining that scene, and getting nausea thinking she could really taste human blood.

'If she says she is a vampire now, it's decided, I take a sword and do as Blade ... unless I'm hiding somewhere ... "

He wrapped the rope around the small cylinder and passed it to the kunoichi asking.

"You could make it check? It is certainly linked to the murder. Perhaps it is the murder weapon."

This statement intrigued the group. The child asked him if it could exonerate their mother, but Steven had to admit that it was not the case.

"But it's better than nothing." He reassured. "We are advancing."

Kiba then asked.

"But why the ninjas did not find this stuff?"

"They did not noticed it. It is really small." Lied geek.

The child accepted that, fortunately for the geek. Steven did not want to tell him that the investigators had probably made sloppy researches. Anko and Hana saddenly understood his little deceit.

Anko disappeared in a cloud of smoke to get to the hospital, while Steven and the children were pursuing their research. When the kunoichi returned, an hour later, she sighed with annoyance.

"Damn it." She complained. "I hate science. One hour for two stupid tests."

" 'Patience', your name isn't Mitarashi visibly." Steven quipped. "I pray that no computer ever need to download Skyrim for you. It would be destroyed very quickly."

In the split second that followed, Steven found himself with a dark kunoichi behind him and a kunai on his throat. The Geek felt very uncomfortable.

"You persist to upset me with your words meaning nothing." Mitarashi murmured. "You really want to die?"

Steven, eyes wide, sputtered.

"You ... You do not have the right to kill me! It's your mission to help me!"

She whispered with a sensually threatening tone.

"Nothing prevents me to come visit you at night once the mission is over."

'Ah ... I had not thought about that.' Steven thought. 'She's not thinking doing like in Assassin's Creed, isn't it ?!'

"STOP IT NOW !" Ordered the small Inuzukas.

Anko groused the geek and relaxed. Then he asked to the crazy one.

"Well then ... Is it blood?"

"Yes it's blood. This is even Kuro Inuzuka's blood. The DNA match."

This surprised Steven that the world of Naruto was familiar with DNA. but when Anko explained that they had made the discovery while trying to discover how clan techniques, or Kekkei genkai, was transmitted, the Londonian accepted this fact. He took the sting from Anko and the photos of the victim's body. He thought aloud.

"Well ... This needle is small enough to fit the injury. Kuro-San died by electrocution and these red marks are burns. Logically, this means that the murderer threw it on him and is served to electrocute him. The current passed through the rope ... "

He examined closely the mini-cylinder. Something bothered him. These elements reminded him of something, but he could not determine what. It was not that something was missing, but that it could not fit together without being illogical. He ends up growling and put the object and the pictures in the left pocket of his jeans, the side where were the three little dangling chains.

Steven and the others searched in the area for a while, finding nothing else.

When the sun was disappearing over the horizon, Steven told the children to go home. Kiba did not want but his sister was forced him to follow her. She would have wanted to continue to help Steven, but she had to look after her little brother. Steven watched them leave with melancholy. He was really hoping to not disappoint them.

Anko asked him what he intended to do. And he answered with a question.

"What about eating something?"

"That suits me ... I guess you still have no money on you."

"I was during six months in jail. I was as ruined as a new player when I entered and I have not found a Gold Coin Block. So yes, I am still cashless."

There was the great crash of a fist against a skull and a body sprawled on the floor with a big bump. Mitarashi went declaring.

"Then follow me. You own me then. We go to Dangos store."

Wanting to avoid losing his last Life Point, Steven merely thoughts.

'Does all the characters of this manga universe eat only one thing their entire life? It's worse than Monster Hunter. '

* * *

In the restaurant, Steven and Anko ate their Dangos calmly. They wanted to spend at least a quiet moment, without one angry or trying to kill the other.

It worked, until the geek found the silence too heavy. He did not like silence. Usually he always had a computer, a PSP, a Nintendo console, the MusicPlayer-3 or something else lit and noisy. Then he asked, with sincere good intentions, the first question that came to his mind, unfortunately.

"Do you never grow tired of Dangos?"

"Why? You don't like it?" Anko groused.

"It's good. But don't you mind eating this all the time?"

"I love it. If you don't like it you can just get out. It will let more for me."

"Okay! I'm just trying to talk, no need to assault me."

Mitarashi saw him sighing and muttering.

"All this for old boxes ... What a kid."

"What did you say ?!"

"Perfectly! You are acting like a five year's old child. You can't blame me forever for an accident that occurred six month ago and for which already apologized."

The kunoichi desired to yell at him again. But at the last moment, she stopped thinking, difficulty, that he was not wrong. It annoyed her of course, but she could not forever being like this with him because of this story. But she could not forgive him, because, beyond the Dangos, he had ruined a day she had waited anxiously and that meant a lot to her.

Steven noticed his crestfallen air. He then asked him nicely.

"Will you tell me why you are angry at me so much, at least?"

She looked into his eyes. His sincerely interested air gave her almost the will to talk. But she didn't do it so easily. She just turned her head. Steven realized that she did not want to talk about it, but he probably had done more than ruin a meal for her to be like that. He sighed again, drawing her attention, and declared.

"Listen. If it were so important for you, I apologize once again. And I promise you to buy you Dangos as soon as I have the money."

This promise completely amazed the kunoichi. She did not know how to answer. She tried not to laugh, but could not. Which destabilized Steven.

"You try to look cool?" Anko asked, chuckling.

"Um ... not really, if I wanted to, I would be having a predatory smile and making the sign of the horns of the devil ... Like that."

The Geek then had a sadistic and proud look, a smile with pointed teeth and a hand raised with the index and little finger extended.

Anko was silent and wide-eyed for a moment ... before laughing again.

This took Steven aback.

"You're not supposed to think it's funny ... I look really ridiculous?"

"No ... It's not because it sucks, it's pretty good actually. But it seem so much Not like you. Normally you look so lazy or esle ... it's offbeat. "

"Yeah, I see ... I should add a cool sentence like 'I'll be back', or whatever. That would be cool. And maybe with a background music like _Down with the Sickness_."

Mitarashi chuckled once again. Steven was delighted to be able to relax things with his temporary partner. He preferred to see her smiling widely, both because he found it more charming and because he no longer had to worry about his survival ... At least he hoped so.

Suddenly the geek notices a familiar head entering the shop. Or rather a face that he was strongly sur to have seen somewhere. White hair in spikes, one eye hidden by his headband, a mask covering mouth and nose ... He remembered having see this on internet: Hatake Kakashi, one of the most popular characters from Naruto.

Anko saw that Steven was starring at something, saw what it was and happily called. The masked ninja raised an eyebrow seeing them, or rather seeing Steven. He approached their table. Anko asked what he was doing here, to which he replied that he too could enjoy Dangos from time to time. She then presented him Steven, who fixed his gaze on him. The two men exchanged a "Hajimemashite" before the kunoichi tell her about the mission on which she is working.

This intrigued the masked ninja. Although he did not say much, it seemed to be one of the few not believing in Tsume's guiltiness, at least not without solid proof. He was more intrigued by Steven and the fact that he was continuing to fix him.

Steven saw in him the famous ninja adored by a crowd of cosplayer, but Hatake well remembered the young stranger, he had already met him six months ago, when he apparently save Naruto's life.

When the ninja left them to order a meal, a series of images came through the mind of the geek. Images of Kakashi's fight he saw on the internet a thousand times. Of those, the geek remembered lightnings. Then these images joined his intuition. Steven turned to Anko and discreetly asked.

"Tell me, is there other ninjas who have their chakra affinity with Lightning?"

"Why? You have something in mind?"

"Maybe... So?"

"Well now that you say, Kakashi is one of them."

Steven frowned with interest. He preferred not to make Anko know he already knew Kakashi's affinity. She then would have asked him how he learned about it. Inventing a story was boring for him now, in addition to being ineffective, but he preferred to avoid having to explain that this world was the fruit of the imagination of a manga author. Not only because it was too complicated to believe, but because he did not know how people would react. They would think he's a liar, mad or he was making fun of them ... He preferred to keep this information as secret as possible.

The Geek took out Kuro Inuzuka's injuries photos from his pocket and walked towards Kakashi.

He called out politely.

"Sorry to bother you but Anko told me that you may know some Lightning Jutsu."

"That's right. And then?"

Steven, by a reflex from his hours watching TV, made sure there was no eavesdropper, and then handed the photos to Kakashi. He looked at them intently, with his only visible eye.

"These are the wounds found on Kuro Inuzuka." Informed Steven. "According to the doctor, it is a Lightning technique that would have caused the death."

That point seemed to intrigue the masked ninja. Steven noticed and questioned.

"You have an opinion to share?"

"That a jutsu Lightning has done that, it is quite possible. But that it had killed him, I doubt it."

"How so?"

"I got worst injuries when I was training with my own Jutsus. If it was the cause of death, there would be more burns, and much larger ones."

The Londonian seemed more intrigued.

"Are you sure?" He questioned.

"Completely." Confirmed the ninja, giving him back the pictures.

Steven thanked Hatake and left him alone. He turned to Anko and shared Kakashi's thoughts with him. Mitarashi was also curious hearing this. She said then.

"But ... This means that the doctor was wrong ... or lied to us."

This second possibility seemed more plausible to Steven, while pretty disturbing. Why would the doctor lied? Anko proposed to go visit the scientist. But the voice of the kunoichi made it clear for the geek that by 'Visit', she did not hear a simple meeting, but probably aggressive questioning. He did not feel well at the idea of seeing a person brutalized. If he was with her, he wouldn't be really useful, and he would be more in her way than anything else. Yet he knew that it was probably inevitable.

Anko saw his worried look, and understood what was wrong. She said, without animosity.

"I can go see him alone you know. You look tired actually. You should rest."

The Geek did not like having the feeling of being set aside as a flat tire. But he could only accept with a nod. It was the best thing to do for the investigation. Although the time was short, his screenwriting skills would not be at the top with him exhausted. Anko rose from the table and asked him.

"You have a place to sleep?"

"They didn't gave you instructions?"

Anko admitted that no. Steven sighed before saying.

"Well ... I maybe have a place but ... I do not know how I will be received."

Anko thought to know where he was referring to. She also did not know if he could spend the night there. Not going to let him in the street, she asked him to sleep at her home, telling him her address. Steven thought for a moment. And he said.

"If I have no other place I will come. I will quickly know the answer anyway."

Mitarashi nodded, understanding what he meant. They parted at the exit of the restaurant. While Steven walked away, Anko turned to him and called out cheerfully.

"Hey ! Avoids to be arrested in my absence. You're still technically under my responsibility."

"I have no need for a Baby Sitter." Steven screamed. "And don't worry I saw enough asylum for avoiding Batman Arkham's game... until next year ... probably."

Then Steven disappeared into an alley. Anko had not understood what he meant, but, bored, she began to accept this side of him.

* * *

Steven was frozen in front of the door of an apartment he had not forgotten a single day. During ten minutes he did not dare knock. He was afraid of what would happen. Would he be welcomed? Or dismissed with thunderous screams?

He took his courage in both hands, took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door.

There was some foot noises. Steven's heart began to beat very fast. Then the door opened on a little blond boy with a pair of protective glasses on the forehead, and a pentacle necklace with red stone on the neck, which had a face of shock and incomprehension. Steven said dejectedly.

"Good evening Naruto."

* * *

Well ... my longest chapter until now.

I hope you were captivated. ^^

Here is the list of stories I made references, as promised:

One Piece, Doctor Who, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Walking Dead, The Thing, Freddy Krueger, Dead Space, One Piece, Resident Evil, Pandora heart, CSI, Final Fantasy 7, Blade, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed, Mario, Monster Hunter, Terminator, Batman: Arkham Asylum / City

Music:

_Down with the sickness_ \- Disturbed

A review, notice, a proposal? Do not hesitate for a second:-)

Your critical help me improve and gives me energy to write. ;-)

Well I go to Chapter 3 of The Queen, the Geek and the Princess. I hope to see you there. ^^


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Little Steven was curled up on the floor under a blanket he was wrapped in, like an armor letting nothing from his body visible. He sat in the middle of his room, in front of a TV broadcasting Lord of the Rings. There was no light to reveal the walls covered with posters, the scattered piles of video games, the shelves full of books and manga ... The broken mirror's pieces ..._

_No light bulb, nor the slightest sunshine. The windows were all blocked with wooden boards monstrously thick. The boy was alone. He was happy. At least he kept repeating that he was, because he had to convinced himself._

_He saw two warriors with light sabers fighting in a station as large as a planet._

_He heard laughter behind the door. His arm shook, then went out alone from under the blanket. He reached to the door, eager to hold the handle. The boy got up and opened it slightly, then he get completely out. He saw a city in the darkness of its own smoke. It was flooded with devils laughing together. They seemed to have fun. The critters saw the child. Most ignored him, others laughed, some threw pebbles. The sound of their insults and jokes became deafening._

_Steven quickly returned to his room and shut the door, double locked, the heart filled with an old grief that passed quickly, as it usually did. This was not the first time. The first days, it was excruciating, but not now._

_He now remembered why he had closed the door. He recovered in front of his TV to see Aragorn addressing to the armies of Gondor and Rohan._

_Then a blinding light begun to replace the images on the screen._

_He saw a warrior with golden hairs willing to destroy an enemy with his fists._

_He began to regain consciousness._

* * *

Steven had trouble waking up, as much because he was not a morning person than because he did not sleep very well on the floor of Naruto's apartment. He felt the sun on his skin, and some growling sounds. Was there a storm in the air? He slowly opened his eyes, lamenting. His vision was still a little troubled, but he guessed that the morning was well advanced and the sun was shining strong.

When his vision returned to normal, he discovered he was not alone. Just above him were five persons looking at him with very dark faces, a little frightening. Steven's eyes blinked several times, until the information reaches his sleeping brain. He recognized one annoyed Naruto, Kiba growling, a rabid Akamaru, an upset Hana and a frustrated Anko. He also felt some pain in various parts of his body and his hairs were not dry, but what he had over him was more important for now.

The young Londoner tried, with a sleepy voice.

"Uh ... Hi everyone."

"You finally wake up you asshole?" Anko coldly questioned.

"It's been a while we try to make awake you!" Kiba bellowed.

"Really?" Steven asked. "That much?"

"Totally." Said Naruto. "We tried everything: shaking you, screaming at you, hit you, throw water to your face..."

"But nothing worked." Anko said. "I even threaten you with all the Killing Will I could."

"But you didn't reacted at all." Naruto explained. "It's like you were barely breathing. It was like you were in coma."

Then Hana said angrily.

"You're supposed to work on How to save our mother. And the trial is this afternoon! Do you even know what time it is?"

"No idea." Steven recognized.

"It's almost ten and a half hours in the morning!" Anko got angry.

"Oh, that is why I am so tired." Muttered the geek. "For a day with no school, it's like five o'clock in the morning for me ... Come back in two hours."

"NO WAY !" Bellowed everybody.

"You better get up." Kiba threatened. "Or else I says to Akamaru to piss on you!"

"WOOF!" Confirmed the puppy.

"If you wanted to wake me up, you should have makes me hear the Opening 1 of Hunter X Hunter 2011 ... or the Chrono Cross introduction, that's fine too."

Add to frustration and that he still did not get up, these little incomprehensible references were the straw that made Explode the camel's back.

"WAAAAAÏ ! Owowowowow! RELEASE ME ! HELP ! WAAAAAAH !" Were examples of Steven's screams while he was lynched, beaten up and punched by the group of ninja.

"STOP IT!" Steven screamed. "Okay ... I get up ..."

"Good." Hana sighed, while her "savior" was put up.

He passed casually between two ninjas saying.

"Just give me a moment."

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"Take a shower and prepare my hairs."

"NOOOO !" Yelled the blonde. "DON'T LET HIM ENTER IN THE BATHROOOOOOM !"

* * *

_Flashback_

_ Last night_

Naruto and Steven were facing each others. Naruto couldn't believe what he saw. Steven feared his reaction. Suddenly, the little blond said cheerfully.

"Steven! You're back!"

Then took him in his arms, cheeks pressed against him. This greatly surprised the geek of course, he was not expecting that. Not knowing what to do, Steven said sincerely.

"S ... Sorry for being away so long."

"Do not worry. The old man explained everything to me."

"... Really?"

Steven was completely lost there. The Sandaime told to Naruto that he was put in prison?

"Yeah." Continued the child. "He told me that you had to go in a hurry without even having time to take your bag."

"... He told you that?"

"Yep. At first I was not glad you went like that, without saying anything. You had promised to return after all. But the old man explained me that it was important and that you could not do anything apart break your promise this time. Then I calmed down and did not blame you. "

Steven should have felt somewhat reassured ... But in fact, he was FURIOUS.

'This old man...' thought the geek with a rage that Naruto could not see. 'Calm Down Steven ... No I can't.'

He knew it was not reasonable, but Steven could not help but being angry against the Sandaime. It was an objectively acceptable lie. Steven did not seemed cruel, it gave him a reason for not returning, and the little one did not have a bad opinion about the old man.

But, despite this, the geek could not accept this situation. With a good reason or not, even if that child had to save this village, as suspected the stranger, it did not change what seemed most important to him: The old man made Naruto believe that Steven had broken his promise voluntarily.

For the young Londoner, it was unacceptable.

There could be circumstances that put a spoke in his wheel, but he never broke a promise.

EVER!

Steven brought Naruto inside, closing the door by slamming. He put the child on a chair, sat down in front of him and looked at him in the eyes, with a determined look that surprised the small blond. He was a little taken aback and intimidated.

Steven told him, on a tone that brooked no interruption or objection. No one suspecting that they were observed.

"Naruto ... I'm sorry to tell you that ... But your old friend lied to you."

Under the incredulous eyes of the child, Steven told him what had really happened in the past six months: the meeting with the Hokage, the Prison, the Asylum and the Case.

Naruto could not believe it. But the more he looked at Steven, the less he could doubt his honesty.

The little blond, taking his pentacle in hands, became angry. He screamed that all this was unfair. Seeing him, the geek calmed. He had not wanted a violent reaction, only restore the truth.

Before the little blond could say more, the young man asked him to calm down.

"Calm down little one, I know you're not happy, me neither, but you should not too harshly judge them. Otherwise you'll do like me with Bioshock Infinite: To think that this is the evil incarnate because a guy tells you when in fact it's cool when you observe it yourself. "

The little blonde was, again, completely lost. What his friend said was quite contradictory.

"But Rai-san ..." Hesitated Naruto. "They locked you ... And they lied to me."

"I know but I do not tell you that to make you hate them. I hated them for a while, believe me. But after I calmed down. Sleeping in jail was strangely pleasant, I was always more serene after. I probably had sweet dreams. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed against them, they almost tortured me, and I have spent several months without a screen. You can not imagine how it's horrible for a geek. But I remembered that they do it for reasons they thought were good. Some of my favorite characters in stories seem mean but actually did what they believed were right with the informations they had. "

Naruto seemed increasingly lost.

"They did what they felt ... right?"

"Yes. These morons could have been a little less hasty but, basically, they just wanted to protect you."

"Protect me?"

"I'm a complete stranger. I arrived from nowhere and becomes one of your friends in less than two days. For ninjas, it is suspect. You will learn that in this world, apparently, you must be vigilant."

The little blond did not know what to think, as the observer hidden near the window. The child just asked.

"So ... Why did you told me all this?"

"To restore my honor."

"Your Honor?"

This intrigued the observer. Steven explained.

"I know their motives were valid. But if there's one thing that you do not mess with me, this is my loyalty. When I make a promise, I keep it, even with the delay. There, I was quite makes you think that I broke my promise at the first difficulty. There was no way I would let you see me like that, even a little bit ... "

"You always keep your promises ..."

Steven smiled.

"That's Right. It would take an army of Xenomorph, or a queen's life in danger to stop me."

"Isn't it a princess normaly?"

"I prefer the Queens. They are strong, dignified and classy."

Steven then made Naruto promise to not be angry against the old man. He promised. After that, the teenager asked to use the bathroom to take a shower and do his hairs. Naruto let him do ... and didn't saw for THREE HOURS. He also promised to not make that mistake again.

Non of them suspected they had been observed by a kunoichi with a cat mask. Who was smiling. What she had heard, and should report to the Hokage, pleased her. She was, moreover, very curious to see the reaction of the Sandaime.

But none of them, nor the young ones nor the kunoichi, or even the Hokage, could imagine that there wasn't One observer. There was actually Two. The masked ninja had no idea that, standing near her, there was somebody. Someone who observed Steven and Naruto. A being that nobody, even the kunoichi, albeit within inches of him, could see or feel.

This entity with plaid shirt and a sympathic round face, which looked more like an office employee than anything, seemed very preoccupied. Then he said, in a voice that no one could hear.

"This one can visibly helped to put things right. As the red-haired one ..."

_End of flashback_

* * *

That was close. Fortunately, Naruto reminded last night and that evening six months ago. The team had managed to stop the geek before he enters the bathroom. He had struggled with all his might, that was actually nothing for ninjas, even the youngest.

They had finally made him sit on a chair where he ruminated with annoyance, tweaking his two medallions, the Dragon from Elder Scrolls and Assassin's sign.

Everyone was sitting at Naruto's table. Something, after a minute, seemed strange to Anko. The Kunoichi asked Naruto.

"Brat ... What are you doing here?"

"Well I'm gonna help you."

"No way." Opposed the kunoichi. "It's already annoying with the two that are related to the case then no need to add you."

"I do not take orders from you!"

The child, in a flash, had a gash on his cheek. Then he felt fear, discovering his injury ... and the face in shadow of the one who had done this to him. Both Inuzuka, more the dog, were in each other's arms, shaking with terror.

"I'm not in the mood to play, brat." Growled the kunoichi.

Naruto ran getting behind Steven, who did not understand what that little boy was doing there.

"Help me Rai-san! Protect me!" Asked the blonde.

"Big strategy mistake, Naruto." Steven replied nonchalantly. "In Dungeon and Dragon's language, my armor class is about Minus One Hundred. And I have no protection from evil. You should go away Leveling like in Dragon Quest ."

"What does that mean?"

"It means: Go and train, I'm less good than a Level 1 Armor."

The child wanted to protest, and ask him better explanations, but a kunai swung an inch from his face, and drove in the wall, and made him change his mind and go do jogging at the other side of the city.

"It was a bit harsh." Stated Steven, too sleepy to worry. "The poor probably imagined he saw Kayako Saeki."

"Stopp it now!" Anko spat. "It's your fault I'm pissed!"

"Watch out. You'll be in Super Saiyan mode if you continue."

"SHUT UP !" Ordered the kunoichi pinning a folder on the table, which cracked.

The shock awoke for good geek that realized how much he had almost lost his life this time.

'Wow!' He Though. 'I have to do be more careful from now. The last time I took so much unnecessary risks, it was to explore a Level 90 territory with my Mage Night Elf Level 8 on World of Warcraft. '

Putting aside this (very) bad memory, Steven relaxed atmosphere by seriously and calmly questioning the kunoichi, as if nothing happened.

"Well, you talked to the doctor who examined of Inuzuka Kuro?"

The children relaxed and Anko took a deep breath, regaining her composure, before answering.

"I did it. And to tell you the truth it was not a nice meeting ..."

"Don't give me details please." Asked sadly the geek.

Anko remembered why he had not come with her yesterday and explained directly.

"Basically, I had to make him have a bad time to make him say the truth. In fact, what nobody knew was that he was the doctor of the victim."

"What?!" Screamed the little Inuzukas.

Steven was surprised a bit.

"You did not know that your father had a personal doctor?"

"Completely." Hana confirmed. "He had always been in perfect health. He had never been sick."

"Being healthy and do not look sick, it's not the same sometimes." Steven explained.

"Actually, he rarely saw him." Anko clarified. "That's why nobody suspected it. He did not need a regular visit and he did not want everyone to know for his condition."

"What was his problem?" Asked Steven.

The kunoichi opened the file and read.

"Cardiac malformation."

This revelation left the children breathless. Anko continued.

"If I believe the doctor and his record, he risked a heart attack if he does too much effort or had too much stress."

"That's impossible!" Kiba shouted. "He was super strong! It's because of mom that he left us!"

"Kiba" Interrupted his sister. "How dare you say such a thing?"

"But it's true." He insisted. "It was he who told me that. Not badly, but he said it."

Hana refused to argue. But Steven asked curiously.

"He really told you that?"

This puzzled the two kunoichi in the room. Kiba told, sadly

"At my last birthday ... He asked me privately what gift I want, He had never been good for gifts, and I told him I wanted it to be with Mom again... And he replied that it was not possible. "

"What did he say exactly?" Steven went smoothly.

His insistence intrigued Anko but she did not intervene.

"Well .." Remembered Kiba. "He just said he could not. I asked him if it was because he no longer loved mom ... or me ..." Hana looked pained at this. "But he said it was not true, he loved all of us as much as before ... Even though Mom was still agitated."

Steven had a little intuition. He asked Hana.

"They fought a lot before their separation?"

The Genin thought for a moment before declaring.

"Not really ... Well they screamed often, but this was because mom is not ... very quiet ..."

"It's a fury you mean!" Kiba clarified.

"Let's say that ..." conceded Hana. "She keeps arguing with everybody and cause problems. It is mainly because people have not accepted that dad marry her. They thought she was too... unstable to lead the Clan. But over time, she earned the respect of some Inuzuka... "

"But not all of them, isn't it?" Steven ventured.

Hana heavily nodded.

"That's right. I'm sure that over time, people would have come to accept her. But it was not easy. As soon as she talked with key members of the clan, it degenerated and dad had to calm her and fix things, often raising his voice. "

Anko questioned with curiosity and humor.

"Said like that, I wonder what he might like with such a tornado. Hehe."

Steven looked at her darkly, which silenced her, not because he was particularly threatening, but because it reminded her that she was speaking about their deceased father. However, Hana replied, looking down and sadly smiling.

"We sometimes asked him. But Dad said that's why he loved her. He was a pretty lazy shinobi it seems. It was her who urged him to be more energetic and respected."

"He was very strong." Kiba added.

This piqued Steven's curiosity, who asked Anko.

"And his condition never bothered him? I thought stress and effort were dangerous for him."

Anko replied.

"It was, yes. But the doctor said that his problem was the type to reveal with age. When he was young, it was fine. But the older he got, the more his heart began to have trouble keeping up. And there are quite a few years, he finally asked the opinion of the doctor because he nearly had an heart attack. He also told him that he should have come to him much earlier. "

"Dad has always been stubborn ..." Sadly precised Kiba, Akamaru tempting to comfort him with his paw.

"Kuro asked his doctor to say nothing to anyone, he wanted to do it himself. He agreed. Moreover the doctor pretended medical confidentiality to not telling me everything. But I saw that it is also because he did not like Tsume-San. "

Steven looked thoughtful. Anko noticed it and asked him.

"It inspires you something?"

Steven did not even seem to have heard it, he looked concentrated. Instead, he asked a new question.

"So his death ... It's still because of the electric current. Is not it?"

"Indeed." Anko confirmed. "The electrical attack caused a heart attack. But if the doctor did not say anything ... It is indeed because he does not like Tsume and believe she's guilty."

This enraged the Inuzuka children. This egoistical scientist had deliberately concealed important informations.

"That's what he said?" Questioned the geek.

Anko was a bit annoyed by Steven's mania for details. But she understood its usefulness, as she answered.

"He said he found her irresponsible to be as stressful despite her husband condition. And the fact that he was killed by electrocution, just enough to die of a heart attack, was sufficient to prove her guiltiness to him. But he felt that it was not necessary to specify all of this because she was going to be condemned. "

Kiba was on the verge of breaking everything. The puppy was also angry. Hana was upset too, but contained her anger the best she could. Steven asked to them.

"Do you think your mother knew about your father's condition?"

"I don't know ..." she admitted. "I'm not sure of many things now. Probably I would say. I do not see our father hid these things because of pride. But if she knew ... she would have been less .. . energic. She really loved him you know. Once he returned from mission with a broken arm and she helped him like a baby. " She chuckled, remembering that. "He was very upset by the way, they argued about it throughout the healing. But, actually, he liked that. He said that there were only two things he really loved in this world : His wife and the Clan... Before our birth. "

All were silent for a moment. The Inuzuka by melancholy, Anko by embarrassment and Steven because he was thinking. Others noticed that their foreign friend had his eyes closed, and was unconsciously tapping a tune on the table. This intrigued them and annoyed Anko.

She interrupted him with a kunai planted between his fingers. Steven noticed, stood frozen for a moment ... then screamed.

"WAAAAH ARE YOU CRAZY ?! You've wanted to do like in Aliens or what?! You almost cut my index! How can I press the " R "buttons of joysticks or a mouse without indexes ?! "

Anko ignored these stories about buttons, to not get irritated again, and said.

"You shouldn't have done that annoying music with your hand."

"You dare to call Super Mario's theme Annoying?"

Wanting to avoid bloodshed and a further loss of time, Hana rushed to intervene.

"THEN RAI-SAN! Do you have an idea?"

Steven sighed and announced.

"I have several. But we lack the elements that can makes me choose one of them ..."

The children seemed a little disappointed. Kiba asked.

"What do we do then?"

Nobody said anything. Two rumblings sounds answered.

"What was that ?!" Steven worried.

Both children responded with shame.

"This is our stomach. We didn't took a real breakfast because mom is not there."

"Whew!" Steven was reassured. "I thought a Bioshock's Big Daddy was in the room."

Anko, tired of Steven's references, got up, sighing. Then she suggested, or rather imposed on the team.

"Let's eat, it's time anyway. We'll probably have more ideas eating."

The child and the geek followed her closely.

Once in the street, Steven continued to think, what made him slow down and be a little far behind.

Then he heard a "Hey!" that surprised him a bit. He looked around and saw a strange man standing in the middle of a small dark alley. The style of this person disconcerted the geek. He had neither kimono nor ninja dresses, but a jeans and a plaid shirt. This was obviously a Japanese man, who was probably thirty years old, with a bowl haircut that would have given him a sympathetic look. Only his aura and his non-smile gave the opposite effect. What most intrigued the londoner was that, despite the fact that this person obviously called him, he was not looking. This strange man was focused on the big notepad on which he seemed to draw.

"Uh ... Hello ..." Hesitated Steven.

The person did not react. But a moment later, he lifted his brush and turned the notepad to make Steven see what he had done. And that surprised the geek even more than his dress style.

There was a beautiful drawing of an ancient style Japanese house with, below, a message in Hiragana, the Japanese 'letters', saying exactly:

'THE MISSING PIECE IS IN INUZUKA DOMAIN.'

Steven froze on the spot. He heard Anko calling him from afar. His eyes turned to her for a moment. But when he looked back into the alley, the man in shirt was gone. More than that, he had literally disappeared. As if he had never been there. The Londoner did not know what to do. Should he talk about that with the others?

'I shouldn't.' He Thought. "I'm not crazy. I saw him. But if I tell them that, they will believe I am, clearly. I may be dreaming ... Maybe ... No, if we were in the normal world I would have believed it. But in this world ... "

Steven returned to his team when they called him again. His mind was more occupied, not only by the case and by what he had seen, but also by the fact that he no longer designated his home world by the term 'Real World', wondering since when he stopped doing it.

The young man then returned to the streets under the gaze, from the top of a roof, of the man in shirt holding his notepad with a draw of Naruto.

* * *

Sorry, still no conclusion of the case in this chapter T-T

But I tried, but otherwise it would have required me to remove things and it would have been illogical or Precipitated the story.

I still prefer to give the elements one after the other.

List of references:

Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dragon Ball Z, HunterXHunter (2011), Chrono Cross, Bioshock Infinite, Alien, Dungeon &amp; Dragon, Dragon Quest, The Grudge, World of Warcraft, Dragon Ball, Aliens, Super Mario Bros. , Bioshock.

See you Soon on The Queen, the Geek and the Princess. ;-)


	11. Chapter 11

Hello every- PUT THE GUNS DOWN ! NOW !

Sorry for this absence but my translators abandoned me and my hard-drive disappeared. So I will translate all the chapters I have done until now directly. It means THREE new chapters after this one in the next two weeks. Happy ? ^^

Remember that I'm French, so my translation is limited ^^'

Okay so here we go

* * *

Chapter 11

Steven was afraid. He was terrified. Sitting against a wall in the dust, blood on the arm and sweat dripping from every pore, he was gasping and looking, exhausted, at the person who was in his light. This dark figure, supported by a wild beast whose fangs were still dripping with Londoner's blood, was holding a weapon firmly, and his eyes were showing that he was going to use it without hesitation.

The geek was on the verge of fainting. His last hour had come.

'No ...' He said, tears beginning to flow. 'I don't want to die ...'

The ninja raised his kunai and was going to cut his throat.

* * *

_Flashback_

_A few hours earlier_

Anko had obviously led the whole troop to her favorite Dango's restaurant.

At this moment, his stomach remembered how many of them he ate this last days. Steven thought.

"If it continues like this, I'll add Dangos to my list of sworn enemies. Right between ramen and the Nyan Cat's creator. '

The geek didn't had the energy to complain, because of the tense situation and how it could have irritated the psychopath kunoichi, he just ate what they served to him. Nobody really wanted to talk, which made the meal really calm and gloomy. Hana, Kiba and Akamaru were too concerned about their mother. Anko liked to eat quietly, but she also had the impression to be on the brink of failing her mission, even if, officially, it was only to supervise Steven.

This one must have felt the same. But actually, he could not help but think back to that strange man in checked shirt he saw in the street before. The message of this stranger was stucked in his mind as much as his disappearance and his too "modern for this world" clothes.

His geek mind found dozens of possibilities to explain this, from ghost to multidimensional being and alien hologram. But none satisfied him. Not that it didn't made sense to him, but he had no evidences that it was one of these.

When he seemed lost in thought, his Dangos half-finished, Anko asked him what was the problem. Not thinking it was a good idea to talk about this, Steven was tempted to not say anything. But he was the kind to act as if nothing happened. This kind of appearance was important in stories generally. And he had to admit he had a mental block in that case.

He simply asked a question he had in mind since this morning, but he had forgotten to ask early on because of the six months since the Hasaki case.

"Tell me, why did they not simply read into your mother's mind with that weird jutsu that can see in anyone's memory?"

Anko paused for a moment, she had an idea about this. The two children looked at each other's for a moment then looked down, a little ashamed.

"It does not work in that case ..." mumbled the Genin. "Our mother was drunk that night."

This surprised the geek at first, but he quickly understood. Memories of the murder's night must be scrambled for Tsume.

"Our mother used to drink when she had a fight with Dad." Kiba completed, a little sad.

It made sense, but was dramatic, for the young Londoner. The little ones would surely lose their mother because of a bottle of booze. It was probably the only thing that had put her in this situation. Strangely, this motivated Steven much more to solve this case. The Gamer refused to see a family broken because of such a stupid thing.

Then he asked them to guide him to the Inuzuka domain, claiming that it was now the best place to find clues. Both Inuzuka were quite disturbed by this. The Genin, therefore, thought that Steven was suspecting one of them to have killed their father, Kuro Inuzuka. The Londoner declared that it was not impossible, he explained.

"To make your father accept to meet someone away from everything, and turns his back to this person, he had to know him or her. So it was a person he trusted. There's more chance that It was another Inuzuka than anyone else. "

For the two young ones, the idea that their father could have been betrayed by one of their clan was simply impossible. Kiba cried a lot, refusing to believe it, and Akamaru growled simultaneously. Their mother had difficulty to be accepted, but clan members liked her more since they get on missions with her. Hana also could not accept the idea that a member of the clan could have done such a despicable thing. They were a family, damn it! A family a bit hectic but not cruel. This time, Steven thought.

'Poor children... If they had watched or read Game of Thrones, they would know that being of the same family does not prevent from dirty tricks. '

He kept this thought for him. The metal head simply retorted that if they had a better proposition, he was ready to listen. But the young Inuzukas had no idea. They had no clues leading to other suspects, no valid theories and time was running out for them. The trial was in a few hours.

The children finally accepted Steven's reasoning. Anko agreed with him since the beginning. So they agreed to take him to the Inuzuka domain.

Steven thought indeed that the domain was their last chance to find informations, it was perfectly logical. But if he wanted to go there, it was mostly because of the message of this strange guy. If he had not told him about this place, they would have perhaps not thought about it. Did it means that this man was trying to help them? If so, why?

There was only one way to potentially answer this questions, and it was to go to the domain.

At the end of the meal, the young Inuzuka therefore took the gamer and the kunoichi to their home.

Later, the Londoner found the famous Inuzuka domain, or rather its entry because it was surrounded by a wall that hid a small forest. In front of a large door, the group discovered that Gaku Inuzuka, little brother of the victim and temporary head of the clan, had indeed reinforced the security. A ninja that looks really cold and straight, with long alabaster hairs and a triangular face, was now standing guard with a large black dog with white paws, very muscular, with a messy coat. The two guards almost looked like statues, and their sole presence, which emitted an indescribable aura, was enough to discourage you to walk in front of them.

The group of investigators stopped before them and Hana greeted the shinobi politely but without sympathy.

"Hello Eiko-san."

The guard replied in a voice devoid of emotions.

"Hello Hana-San."

The Genin then saluted the black dog, whose name was Kamu, but this one simply growled and look at Akamaru, who backed away, intimidated. Hana indicated Mitarashi and Steven, explaining.

"These people are commissioned by the Hokage to investigate on my father's death. They would like to enter. Can you tell that to my uncle Gaku?"

The keeper and the animal casted a brief glance at Steven and the provocative kunoichi. Then he announced, still monotone.

"Gaku-san is not there, he went to answer a few last-minute questions for the Uchihas before the trial."

This seemed to bother the Genin and intrigued Mitarashi.

"So could you just, by chance, let us in?" Tried the young Inuzuka.

"I have no right." Answered the white-haired ninja. "My orders are clear: Nobody outside of the clan enters without authorization."

Hana, aware of how close her mother's trial was, already began to lose patience.

"So who do I need to talk to let them come?" She asked irritably.

The emotionless ninja told her that some members of the clan remained and may help inside the house, almost all others were going to the court. Hana had to leave her companions outside one moment to convince the Inuzukas. So she went, leaving Kiba with Anko and Steven. Under the supervision of Eiko and Kamu.

If there's two things that geeks hate more than anything it is to wait and be bored.

And Steven, in front of the Inuzuka's domain, unfortunately had to undergo both.

So much that he began to mumble a song.

The geek usually hated to sing, but muttering an air became one of his only ways to pass the time since he had been separated from his precious bag. He therefore hummed in his asylum's cell and acted some scenes he appreciated in films, series and Anime. He did it aloud, in a very low voice, only when there was nobody around him.

It had been almost half an hour since the Genin left them there in front of the door, before the empty gaze of Eiko and the aggressive Kamu. The trio was a bit aside to be a little less uncomfortable.

All this time, Steven mumbled in a loop the same tune. What gradually increased the pressure of the kunoichi. When the geek began his song again, Anko exploded.

"WILL YOU STOP THIS ANNOYING SONG ?!"

The Otaku replied.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE SAINT SEIYA'S OPENING?!"

"THIS TIME I'LL KILL YOU !" She said, taking kunais from her jacket. This shaked the Londoner with terror.

"NOT AGAIN!" Kiba powerfully intervened, refusing to see again those supposed to help her mother lose their time like this.

The Geek and the berserk girl looked at the child then at each other, and subsided with a sigh, realizing that this was not the time to kill each other.

"You never stop fighting?" Asked the little boy annoyed.

"I am never fighting normally, little guy." Said Steven. "It is her who wants to skin me alive all the time."

"Because you're always saying things we do not understand!" Reacts Anko. "It is horribly frustrating!"

"Can't you be like the others?" Asked the geek, very angry. "To let this go, looking at me strangely, Or better: Ignore me completely and leave me alone"

"How anyone can do that with a guy like you?" Mitarashi asked, raising her tone.

"It's not difficult." Explained the teenager with chains. "Peoples do it all with me. You will have no trouble doing it too."

Anko looked surprised. Something in the tone and the look of Steven destabilized her. He said all this as if it was perfectly normal. But something in his voice showed he was not exaggerating a moment, and that behind its apparent insensitivity to say all this, it affected him.

She didn't know what to say. Steven's face seemed familiar at this moment. She had already see this mask of indifference cracked by angry signs. But she could not remember where.

She was, however, deconcentrated by Kiba. He was also surprised by the words of the teenager with pendants, but not with the same intensity. He asked with the tone of a curious child that does not understand, but felt that it was something serious.

"What do you mean? People dislike you?"

Steven looked at the child and lost his angry look. He seemed a little melancholic now, like he was thinking about something he had fully accepted, and against which he could do nothing.

"You can say it like that." Steven confirmed by taking a more relaxed air. "Anyway, I do not care when it is not serious."

Anko had another feeling of déjà vu seeing him scratching his hair carelessly.

"You must have friends where you came from, right?" Pursued the Inuzuka, taking Akamaru in his arms.

The stranger thought, looking down. Steven never had any illusions about this, he had seen enough stories to see how it was stupid and useless. He knows what a true friend was thanks to this stories, and he never considered the people with who he only discussed online, or play co-op on video games, as such.

The teenager took his casual air and answered.

"Not really."

The idea of a person without any circle of acquaintances seemed impossible for the Inuzuka, who always had his sister, his clan and friends. That's why he insisted.

"You must be exaggerating. There must be some people that likes you."

Steven thought again, observed by the intrigued kunoichi. He was not really used to think about it. No one ever asked him such a question. But he had no reason to lie, so he answered honestly, two faces come into his head.

"Who likes me? Well… There's Rhiannon and the Professor."

"Ri-a-no-nu?" Kiba tried, transposing the English name in Japanese.

"Just say Ria, that's how I call her. She's a good girl. A little angry at times but not a bad person. She arrived in my class in the middle of the year and the few persons were talking to her. They do not hate her but she was pretty lonely. We talked a little and I think we became friends. I even offered her a pendant of the triple moon for her birthday. I hesitated between that and a Sword Art Online collar. But that would have been too personal. "

Anko, always a bit baffled by the face of the young geek, did not even got angry when he made references to things she didn't know. Kiba continued with his questions.

"And who is this… Professor?"

"Mitchell?" Continued Steven. "He's my science teacher. It's been two years that I know him. He's a real genius. He worked for the army, if I remember correctly, before his career change. He knows everything in physic, electronic and a little about chemistry. "

Anko and Kiba could not notice the admiration in his voice, speaking about this man, or his more playful look.

"He is a great teacher." He added. "We talked sometimes at the end of the lessons. He said I was smart, and he did not understand why I had such average results. We even talked about Science fiction. We got along well. "

Steven lost his smile again, replaced by a puzzled concern. He did not know what to think about the Professor since he arrived in this world. It was he, with his strange box, that send him here after all. It seemed he did not know who the teacher was after all. He wondered where he could be now, what happened to him after his "journey", and what the hell this cubic gadget was.

Kiba was too innocent to understand that talking about the teacher was difficult for the metalhead, he asked him one last thing, still not understanding how it was possible.

"But you really don't have buddies? You're weird but, I must admit, you're a nice guy."

This naivety, despite the compliment, really started to annoy Anko. This child did not see it was rubbing salt in the wound? Steven was a little surprised by the compliment, understanding that Kiba didn't understand. He explained then, with a false smile.

"Little guy ... Unfortunately, There are people who are very lonely. People who have nobody, even if they are very friendly. As Naruto for example ... By the way, you would get along well. You should try to speak with him. "

This advice quite surprised Anko. Kiba said, looking down, not with shame but incomprehension.

"The clan say that we shouldn't approach him. They say he is a demon or something else."

Anko sighed. She knew why people were talking like this about the little blond. That annoyed her. But what could she do? Then Steven asked to the small Inuzuka.

"Would you say that ?"

"Sorry?" Wondered the boy with red marks.

"You met him this morning. Would you say that he's a demon?"

Anko seemed intrigued by what was saying the teenager with pendants. Kiba, a little lost at first, thought for a moment. Then he said.

"I would say he's a baka (idiot) ..."

"On this point we agree." Stated Steven.

"But he's pretty cool." Kiba finished.

"So that's all that matters for now."

The child didn't seems to grasp what he meant by that. Neither Anko. The teenager then explained with some common conviction, convinced he was telling a banal and universal truth.

"People are stupid sometimes, especially when they are in large numbers. Who knows, maybe what they say is true. But you have to check it by yourself before thinking what others think. You do not judge someone until you know him or her yourself. "

This greatly surprised the kunoichi, raising her eyebrows. Kiba looked a little lost, but he actually seemed to be thinking about what Steven just told him.

It was then that the door opened to reveal Hana, a roll in her hand. She gave the object to Eiko, saying they now had permission to enter. The ninja nodded and pointed to the trio that they could go. They all sighed, relieved that the wait was finally over.

Steven then passed near Kamu, the watchdog. At this time, the animal snorted, as if something suspicious had suddenly appeared. Then he turned to the geek, muscles tensed, and groaned on Steven with rage-filled eyes, as if he was ready to attack. This surprised everyone, including Eiko, but nobody could see it in his case, he was too much insensitive. The dog growled on Steven.

The Geek, used to not be appreciated by animals, didn't thought it was a special thing, although kamu's fangs scared him. He entered quickly in the domain, mentally calling the dog 'Nasty Animal '. The others, although quite perplexed, entered then forgot this incident.

But Kamu remained tensed, fangs in evidence. Eiko glanced toward the investigator's group.

Before the door of the Inuzuka's mansion, Steven could only be pleasantly intrigued discovering a true traditional Japanese house, especially as it seemed very large.

"So?" Anko called out. "What do we do now?"

Steven was a little troubled there. If what the man had written was true, the solution to their problem was here. But he had no idea what he was looking for. He had yet to find something. He then asked the Inuzuka children.

"Did you noticed some strange things recently?"

The two children pondered but their response was unfortunately negative. He asked the most basic and logical thing, in absence of better ideas.

"Well, I propose to separate. Now that we know that we must keep an eye on everything here, we probably will find something. You, the children, this is your home, you should search in the places that you know but being more careful. You surely will spot any abnormal thing. Anko, you're a real kunoichi, I need you to go to the places they have not, on the contrary, the right to visit. With your skills, maybe you will spot something. "

The kunoichi appreciated the consideration, and the fact that he was careful to not acting like he was giving them order. She questioned, however.

"What about you? What are you going to do?"

Steven looked at the little forest surrounding the house and announced.

"I'm going to explore in the area. I'm not used to buildings like this. I do not know well what is abnormal or not. So I'll look in the woods, I have more chance to notice something. "

The three companions approved with a nod and the two children went into the house. Anko remained a little behind and told to Steven.

"I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, you know?"

"Yes, but it is not really the time to follow orders to the letter." Informed Steven.

Anko knew he was right, she expected that answer, and it pleased her. So she told him with a smile, quite amused.

"If you have a problem, scream. I know you are perfectly capable of this."

The Gamer growled as she closed the door behind her.

'She I'm Ashley from Resident Evil 4 or what?' He thought grumpily.

After that, he went around the house. He looked for anything that might be an abnormality, a clue or an indication. He even hoped to see this strange guy. Whoever he was, why would he guide him?

Steven came to a small plain in which there were many dogs. It was there that visibly rested the beasts of the Inuzuka clan. Steven thought he couldn't be hated by all the animals, Kamu must be particularly aggressive. As he tried to walk very quietly beside them, not drawing attention. But it didn't happened as he hoped for.

Most dogs sniffed then faced the geek, growling. They showed all their teeth, especially a huge wolfhound with an eye patch which alone made him willing to run.

"You must be kidding ..." stammered Steven. "Now it's the Cerberus of the first Resident Evil."

Seeing a real rabid dogs army beginning to surround him, and obviously ready to bite. Steven began to back slowly, hands in evidence to show that he wanted to hurt nobody. But that didn't calmed the Cerberus. Fortunately, the animals did not seem to follow him. Steven ran for a moment to the trees, as a security measure, screaming and remembering.

'Rule number one of Survival Horror games: If it growls, RUN!'

A little further, he stopped and sighed when he saw that he wasn't chased. He ran his hand through his hair, avoiding well to not undo his Oz Vessalius strand. Then his gaze was attracted by a black shape among the trees. He observed carefully and, completely shocked, saw the famous man in checked shirt. This one stood in the shade of a big dead tree and was looking at the geek in the eye with a very inexpressive face that was visibly marked by a form of fear.

The strange figure heavily raised his arm and pointed a finger at the dead tree. Steven, eyes wide, did not know what to say. He observed this without flinching for a moment. And he started screaming when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he discovered that it was Anko.

"Hey! Are you ok?" She asked. "I heard you screaming."

Steven turned quickly towards the dead tree. The man in shirt had disappeared. Steven, stammering a little, quickly questioned the kunoichi indicating where the unknown person was.

"You ... You saw that?"

Anko blinked, misunderstanding, then looked in the direction he pointed.

"What? The tree?" She asked. "Yeah, so what?"

It was not, of course what he was referring to. But it was impossible that she couldn't have see it if he had been in front of him, she must have looked in the same direction as him. But hearing at the tone she had, Anko clearly didn't saw the stranger. Steven was really mad for a moment. He rubbed his eyes with an anxious sigh. Anko stood next to him and repeated her question.

"You okay? Or did you officially lose your mind?"

"I wonder ..." he admitted quietly.

He suddenly remembered why he was here, it was because this strange man told him to do it. If he had returned and had pointed this tree, it must be important. Steven ran to the dead tree, surprising Anko who followed him. Once there, the geek looked carefully and found an opening at the base of the plant. He looked inside. He first noticed nothing, but looking closer, he saw that the floor was actually covered with a brown fabric covered with earth. Steven withdrew it under the astonished gaze of Anko, and discovered beneath a small box in a hole.

Fascinated by this discovery, Steven tried to open the box. He managed to remove the cover ... and what he found there froze him with stupor.

The box was filled with small yellow and black gears, the size of a hand, which Steven recognized as having seen it in many Crime Series. Like the Colt Python who threatened Naruto, the Londoner could not believe for a moment what he saw, but he could not do otherwise. He slowly took one of these devices, frightened by the idea that he could actually touch them, and then admit their existence. His hand then made contact with one of these black objects, heart pounding at full speed, and observed it closely. He could not deny anything when he read on the butt of the object: TASER X26.

Steven thought he was on the verge of fainting. How was that possible? First a Colt, now TASER? And there wasn't many of them in this box, maybe fifteen. But the worst was the small dusty box in a corner. After examination, the geek could read on it, staring wide-eyed: Ammo, Wolf Company, Made in Brazil.

It was ammunition for the weapons of the same type as the Colt Python, and the box was open and a little empty.

While Anko, intrigued by what she saw, draw the geek's attention to ask for explanations. Not knowing where to start, the English boy could only say what he was certain about.

He explained to the kunoichi that these devices enable anyone to knock out people by electrocuting them, and that was one of these machines that killed Kuro Inuzuka as it could cause death to a person with a heart condition.

Mitarashi could hardly believe it, she had never heard of such objects. To stop her doubts, Steven grabbed the TASER in his hand, pointed it to the ground and pulled the trigger. Two strings got out of the device and dug into the ground. The gamer then removed the needle box from the grip, to be sure to not get electrocuted, and took the projectiles on the ground. When he showed the two needles with their strings to Anko, she was completely flabbergasted. The needles they found on the crime scene looked like those from this strange object.

There she had to admit that Steven had surprised her.

"H ... How did you know about that arms cache?"

Steven was troubled, he still couldn't talk about the guy in checked shirt. It was a direct return ticket to the asylum. So he said that he had an intuition seeing that tree, he could have been mistaken, but apparently luck was on their side.

Anko, good specialist in interrogations was not completely fooled. She understood that he was not sincere. But before she asks him more questions, Steven quickly said they had no time to lose. He took a TASER loaded and put it in his pocket to present it at the trial as evidence.

He told the kunoichi that they should join Hana and Kiba. Anko, sensing the geek's eagerness, just shook her head then followed him.

Once in the house, Steven called the two young Inuzuka who joined him quickly. They hoped that the stranger had found something. Steven then asked them questions. First of all if they had seen someone approaching the dead tree outside, possibly with a box. Their response was unfortunately negative.

Steven, stressed by the lack of clues and too much assumptions growled thoughtfully. He considered each elements of the case, each suspects and he connected them logically. Eventually, he found two possibilities, but lacking clues. He asked to the children.

"What can you tell me about Eiko?"

This surprised everyone, but Hana answered.

"Uh ... He's a new member. Him and his dog arrived three months ago. It's our uncle who recommended him when he returned from a trip."

Steven's eyes widened. Did the pieces assembled at last?

"Your Uncle Gaku travel often?" he asked.

Hana confirmed.

"Yes, he's a little like a clan's ambassador. The Hokage even sometimes send him to diplomatic missions for the village."

"He often comes up with stuff that were offered to him." Kiba added.

One more piece fits into the puzzle. Steven asked, dreading the answer.

"And would you say your father liked Eiko?"

It is Kiba who answered this time.

"Not at all! Dad was suspicious of him. Besides, the other dogs didn't not like Kamu."

Hana said.

"He did not like the idea of making him join the clan. But Gaku insisted and it was mom who decided, as the clan leader, to let him join us. She thought he was strong enough and thought it would calm down some people to see her accepting a new one like him. "

Another piece fits. Only a few were missing now. Steven turned quickly and exclaimed to Anko.

"Anko-san! I almost resolved this case."

This surprised and intrigued the children and the kunoichi. Steven continued.

"But I miss some elements and we lack of time. You will need to do some things for me please."

Anko, in other circumstances, would have bitched about the idea that he would give orders, even gently, but here, feeling how urgent it was, she just asked him, a little confused, what he wanted her to do. Steven explained.

"We need you to quickly go to see a ninja with a fox mask, I do not know his name by cons. If I'm not mistaken, he should know about Naruto's attack. You have to ask him if it was linked to the Hasaki case and, if so, what were the other suspects and what he knows about the civilian who attacked Naruto. "

Anko remembered the assault, she was there after all. And she knew which ninja he was referring to. So she nodded to confirm she would do it and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the famous Shunshin.

It startled a little Steven, it was the first time he saw one of this, but he had no time to wonder. He then asked Hana.

"You, you must go at Naruto's apartment. You must ask him where he put my bag and take a very strange metal object looking like this." Steven did some kind of "J" with his hands. "Then you will bring Naruto and this object at the trial, where we will regroup."

Hana did not understand everything, especially not why it could help them, but Steven's tone convinced her that it was of great importance. She nodded and ran as fast as possible out of the house. Finally, Steven looked at Kiba and Akamaru.

"You and I are going to recover the box that is there and bring it to the courtroom."

Kiba didn't grasp what he was referring to but understood that he would soon find out. So the trio ran to the trees, under the always worried gaze of the man in checked shirt, looking at them from the roof.

Kiba, Akamaru and Steven ran through the streets of Konoha for a while. Steven was carrying the box and Kiba was before him. But the boy stopped, with his puppy, when he heard the sound of wood on the ground. He discovered the geek breathing strongly, completely out of breath.

"What are you doing?" Shouted Kiba. "This is no time to take a break."

The young Englishman was no longer able to run. His physical capacities were still very low. However, he knew he had to not be a burden, as he said to the child.

"Take the box and go ahead, I'll meet you there. I breathe a bit and I'm coming."

Anko told him this afternoon where the trial would take place. Kiba growled a bit, but eventually took the box, which wasn't so heavy, and left in a hurry, thinking about her mother that he had to save.

The Gamer sat down for a moment, catching his breath. He was not yet exhausted, he would soon recover, but he had to avoid arriving dead tired at the trial. He said aloud.

"If there's one thing Shadow of the Colossus taught me, it is to manage my endurance."

He then heard footsteps stopping in front of him, and some grunts.

Steven looked up and saw something that he wasn't happy at all to see. Eiko, the ninja with long white hair, looked at him by his height, in the company of his black dog with sharp teeth.

Before the geek could say anything, Eiko seized a kunai and coldly ordered him to get up.

Steven did not understand directly. He just raise his eyebrows. Then the ninja repeated his order. The English metalhead understood what was going on, for his great misfortune. Eiko wanted to silence him. He was linked to all this.

Kamu grunted again and Steven stood up, terrorized by this beast. He looked around, but the street was deserted, it was the middle of the afternoon, everyone was busy somewhere. The threatening ninja indicated an alley between two buildings behind him. Steven didn't want to obey, he knew what this meant. Eiko just wanted a quiet place to hide his body. Steven trembled. He wanted to run, to run away. But what could he do against a highly trained ninja and his war hound? Him? With his thin muscles and mollusk's endurance? He had already fight once, with students from the elementary school, but it was many years ago and he never had won. So he did what the ninja wanted, entering into the alley.

The walk seemed horribly slow and difficult to him. He didn't want to be killed dammit. When he came to a crossroads in the dark alley, he decided to try his luck. He ran at full speed. But it was in vain. The ninja, in a single bound, was in front of the geek and hit him in the stomach. The punch almost made him vomit. The teenager couldn't stood over his legs and coughed, on hands and knees in the dust.

He looked up to see Eiko's cold stare, looking at him as an insignificant prey, or rather an insect that would be crushed before forgetting about it and quickly do something else. Steven remembered that he had a TASER in his pocket, he had hope again and quickly pulled the device from his pocket and pointed it at the ninja, but failed, shooting aside, when the watchdog savagely bit his arm . The pain was excruciating, to the point of making the geek yell and release the non-lethal weapon. But his voice was interrupted by a kick that the ninja gave him in the face, throwing him against the wall. Kamu had dropped his arm, but now Steven was in pain and bleeding.

Steven was afraid. He was terrified. Sitting against a wall in the dust, blood on the arm and sweat dripping from every pore, he was gasping and looking, exhausted, at the person who was in his light. This dark figure, supported by a wild beast whose fangs were still dripping with Londoner's blood, was holding a weapon firmly, and his eyes were showing that he was going to use it without hesitation.

The geek was on the verge of fainting. His last hour had come.

'No ...' He said, tears beginning to flow. 'I don't want to die ...'

The ninja raised his kunai and was going to cut his throat.

_End of Flashback_

* * *

"Mercy ..." Steven whispered.

The ninja replied, still without emotion.

"No. The chief does not like those who threaten his business."

Steven could no longer breathe. The terror was too great. The blade of the ninja whistled through the air. Steven closed his eyes.

Then he heard a big shock. Steven opened his eyes catching his breath, surprised to not be dead.

He saw someone he was so glad to see.

"Anko!" He exclaimed.

The kunoichi, a kunai in hand, gave a blow to the Eiko's face, projecting him a little further. Kamu jumped back and was in fighting position. She cast a glance to Steven to make sure he wasn't too messed up. He seems okay, he would recover. She ordered him to get away, what he immediately did getting out of the alley.

Eiko rose up and took up a position, his dog close to him.

"You did a big mistake." He said.

Anko frowned and jumped into the fray.

His enemies tried to attack by two sides. Anko jumped between them, landing with a roll, dodging Eiko's kunai and Kamu's fangs. She summoned a clone then started a fire jutsu.

"Katon - Ryuka no Jutsu (Dragon Fire Technique)!"

Flames sprang from the kunoichi's lips. Eiko responded with another jutsu.

"Suiton - Suijin Heki (water formation wall)!"

The two jutsu clashed, creating a thick cloud of steam. Eiko remained motionless, waiting for the next move of his opponent. Kamu barked and his master turned to block a blow with a kunai. The two enemies looked into each other's eyes before exchanging punches. A group of giant snakes came from behind the shinobi but Kamu shredded them with his claws and fangs.

Anko then appeared from the mist to give the dog a kick which pushed him against his master. Both fell down but got up with a pirouette while Anko and her clone summoned together.

"Sen'eijashu! (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)"

The snake cloud came over them too fast. The dog was caught by several reptiles and Eiko, even if he dodged some of them, was bitten on the shoulder. He cut off the head of the snake that had bitten him and took it off directly, his face not expressing any sign of suffering, even for a second.

Anko and her clone had a smirk. One of the kunoichi laughed.

"That's all you got? Gaku really have very low standards."

Without flinching, Eiko tossed a kunai that Anko dodged, which made the weapon crash into the wall. Then she heard a familiar whistle. The Kunai was an explosive one. The kunoichi jumped quickly then the weapon exploded, destroying the wall, the clone and their snakes. Anko rose up quickly but then discovered that her enemy had fled with his animal.

Mitarashi sighed with frustration. His opponent would not go far away with ninja snake's venom in their veins. But she didn't saw where he could escape. She turned to a corner and saw Steven, eyes wide open. She approached him and asked if he was okay.

Speechless, the young man didn't answered. He looked terrified and impressed. What he saw was more stunning than a circus show or an American blockbuster. His mind didn't react. The kunoichi snapped her fingers before his eyes saying.

"Hey! Are you awake?"

The geek came out of his trance and felt again pain on his arm. He dared not touch bloody teeth's marks, they made him suffer more than he ever had in his life. The ninja saw the wound and told him.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you to a doctor. The trial will have to wait, I have no bandage on me."

Suddenly remembering this case, that the combat and fear made him forget, Steven remembered what was at stake. He had promised Hana and Kiba to help their mother.

"No." He spoke through gritted teeth, surprising Anko. "We go to the courtroom right now."

The kunoichi growled, with a disapproving look.

"You don't have to play rough." She scolded. "You're injured and must treat this wound. The trial will probably last for a while and ..."

"No!" Interrupted the geek viciously. "Everyone believes that Tsume is guilty, we're the only ones with the elements to prove her innocence and who the real culprit is. They'll probably finish this quickly if we do not do anything now. So we must go, NOW."

Anko saw in his eyes the same determination as when he spoke about his promises. She understood it was the reason why he was so angry. She was not going to knock him out, especially knowing he was certainly right about the trial. She huffed and asked what they would do about his injury. Steven told her to take a piece of her jacket, which she refused, screaming first.

"No way! You can die but you don't touch my jacket."

Steven replied.

"Oh come on! I'm sure there's fifty like this in your closet. You should have more clothes than feminine Mortal Kombat character."

Anko was on the verge of exploding, but the case came first. She resigned herself to tear a piece of her jacket and bandage Steven's arm, squeezing harder than necessary.

"Ouch!" Complained the geek. "Be careful!"

"Shut up." Rebuked the kunoichi.

The duo finally get away as quickly as possible to the courtroom. Along the way, Steven asked his partner what she had discovered.

"I spoke with Fox and went to the courtroom, but you were not there. I had a bad feeling and I followed the road that you and Kiba had probably taken through the roofs. I met Kiba who told me where he had left you and I arrived on time, but that was close. "

Steven thanked the kunoichi, but she was not in the mood. The mission was the priority for now. He then asked her all she had learned from Fox.

The kunoichi told him. And then, like magic, Steven had an almost predatory smile, which intrigued the ninja. The last pieces of the puzzle were in place.

"I have resolved this case Anko. This time I know what happened."

But Steven seemed annoyed. He thought as he ran, as if a detail was an unsolvable problem. He looked at the kunoichi and asked.

"Anko ... Do you trust me?"

She took a moment before answering.

"... More or less."

"Do not act like Nathan Drake! I seriously need your help."

Anko was not really sure of her this time. She didn't know Steven very well, it was a stranger oddly dressed, and he annoyed her more than anything. She had more than one time the desire to strangle him. But she thought back to their discussion, how he acted in this case, and how his conviction to keep his promises was strong. She had to recognize that he was a good guy. He really intended to solve this case.

She finally play it safe by requesting more information.

"What do you have in mind?"

Steven then explained what he expected of her and why ...

And she had to admit that it pleased her. On the sadistic and predatory air, face half in shadow, she said.

"You can count on me."

* * *

The courtroom was crowded. The suspect was guarded by two ANBU, and the five persons selected to judge in this case were finishing to discuss. Nobody had really talked to defend Inuzuka Tsume, not necessarily because they believed she was guilty, although many of them were, but because nobody, not even the Uchiha's officer, had any argument to defend her. Until the last moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the door of the court, hoping for a miracle.

Many faces were visible in the meeting. Some worried, as Maito Gay, some expressionless, as Hatake Kakashi, but some were happy or purely indifferent, it was the case for the majority. All the important people of Konoha gathered for the trial. All clan leaders, including Nara, Aburame and Yamanaka were here.

The judges were at a large table facing the audience and the suspect standing before them. The five people deciding her fate were the Hokage himself, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, Danzo Shimura and Ibiki Morino.

The jury was ready to give his verdict. The majority prevailed in such cases. And unfortunately for the Sandaime, the majority thought that there was not enough evidence to declare Tsume Inuzuka as innocent. A dismissed case could have been possible, but Danzo oriented Fugaku and Hiashi's opinions. He thought that Tsume was certainly a formidable kunoichi, but a too unstable person to be a clan leader. Without being certain of her guiltiness, he thought that her sacrifice was necessary, Gaku being more predictable.

Hiruzen knew all this, but he could not talk about this without giving the impression to orientated this trial to the innocence of Tsume, while there was no evidence about that.

Therefore, the five turned to the suspect. The assembly silenced directly.

"Tsume Inuzuka ..." Began the Sandaime. "In view of the evidence we have ..."

The door to the room opened suddenly and a voice screamed.

"Objection!"

The whole room turned aroundand the five officials looked toward the entrance.

All seemed shocked and shaken by what they saw: A group with a kunoichi that nobody really liked, three children, one carrying a small box, and a young man a bit weird with a strange wolf tee-shirt, unknown medallions and three small chains at the belt.

'I was even better than Phoenix Wright this time.' Thought the gamer, smiling.

The group walked towards the heart of the room, under the incredulous eyes of the public. Along the way, Anko explained, whispering, who were the five judges. This pretty worried the metalhead.

'Damn ...' Considered Steven. 'The old man, the psychopath, two clan leaders, with one that mustn't like me, and a hyper-influential guy ... It's more like Danganronpa actually. If I do any mistake, I am dead ... literally. '

When they arrived near the suspect, shocked by her children's presence, Hana had to put a hand on Kiba's shoulder to keep him quiet. It was not the time to be sentimental. This group surprised the judges, including the presence of foreigner and the small Naruto, who seemed as determined as the others.

"May we know what this all means?" Ordered the Hyuga leader.

Steven let Anko talk. He knew that, to make them listen to his reasoning, he had to give the impression that she was in charge of the investigation. He used this opportunity to check out the public, he recognized no one except the doctor of Kuro Inuzuka. The kunoichi explained to the jury with a serious face.

"I am Mitarashi Anko. I have been mandated by the Hokage to investigate on this case, with the help of this man."

The judges' eyes rested on the stranger, who was quite uncomfortable. But he had to look decent to seem credible. So he bowed declaring.

"My name is Steven Ryan. Call me Rai-San."

Danzo had a gaze full of reproach on the Hokage.

"Sandaime, is that true?"

The Hokage replied still looking at the group.

"Yes, I thought that a second team would be a good thing."

"A good thing?" Interjected the Uchiha leader, quite outraged. "My men were already on this case. And you involved a foreigner?"

Steven thought he knew what annoyed the man. If he actually led the Konoha's police, his intervention at the request of the Hokage was like questioning his abilities.

Anko said, as calmly and respectfully as possible.

"Without trying to offend you Uchiha-sama, if you let us present what we discovered and take the time to listen to what Rai-San has to say, I think you will be interested and would see this case in a different light."

Steven felt that some of the judges did not appreciate that they interrupted them. Also, unable to restrain himself on this point, he says with maximum retained.

"And if I may be allowed to say this, it seems to me that nobody has really spoken to defend Inuzuka Tsume. And everybody has the right to be defended, right?"

Sarutobi appreciated his resolution. Not like Danzo and Hiashi, who remembered that rude young man who. But none of the judges could really argue with that. Some did not like Tsume, including a big part of the public, but she remained a kunoichi like the others. They could not condemn her right now, with someone ready to defend her. Not until hearing them at least. It would angered a lot of people and set a precedent which they would hear about for a long time.

The judges nodded toward Hiruzen, who then declared.

"All right, make the suspect sit."

The Ninjas keeping Tsume settled into a corner. She watched all this with surprise and a form of hope. His own children were with a stranger, and the famous Naruto, and they claimed to be here to defend her. She couldn't understand how, or why a foreigner would do it. She remained silent and waited to see what was going to happen, exactly like the assembly.

"We are listening to you." Announced the Hokage.

"Thank you." Replied the geek. "First of all, I have a question for Tsume-San."

He called Kiba, who deposited the box on the ground, surprising the public. The young man opened it, took an object inside and threw it to the suspect by questioning.

"What is it?"

Surprised, she caught the strange black gadget and looked at it with total stupefaction. She turned it in all directions and asked.

"What is this thing? I've never seen anything like this."

"Thank you for your answer." Declared the English boy retaking the object.

He then addressed to the jury, advancing towards their table.

"I think that, as a ninja, you saw that her astonishment was perfectly sincere."

Four of them looked at Ibiki, who confirmed with a nod. The young man then placed the object in front of the Hokage. The five judges were very intrigued by this device.

"This is a non-lethal weapon from a faraway country, capable of throwing needles, connected to the machine by iron strings, which can paralyze an opponent with a weak electric current."

This statement surprised the whole room. The judges had obviously difficult to believe it, but Steven continued.

"We found a needle from one of this devices on the crime scene, on which were the blood of the victim. And the wounds on the body corresponded to electrical burns. It's in the autopsy report, which you have probably read. "

The judges confirmed with silence, while Anko gave them the famous needle and the laboratory report confirming that it was indeed the DNA of Kuro Inuzuka on it.

"Before you ask anything..." Steven said. "Let me prove my statements."

He seized the TASER on the table, pointed to the ground and pulled the trigger. The needles propelled surprised everyone, also attracting the curiosity of some persons in the public. He removed the munition from the gun and gave it to the judges who looked at them and compared them to the one found on the crime scene. The Geek then explained.

"The person who found the body said he heard the sound of a Shunshin just before discovering Kuro-San. And I think a Shunshin is only a technique to move very quickly. This needle clung to a plant and the wire broke because of its user's speed. This is how we discovered it. "

Fugaku intervened with skepticism.

"But you claim that these weapons are non-lethal, the current they have is low. This cannot kill a shinobi on top form."

Steven, expecting this, let Anko respond with another folder.

"If Kuro had been healthy actually. But we found that the coroner, which happened to be the victim's doctor, had lied about the cause of death and concealed some informations on Kuro-Sama's condition. "

The doctor, in the public, bowed his head with shame. Anko clarified.

"Nobody except him, and Kuro-san himself of course, knew that the victim had a heart disease."

This time, the whole room seemed shocked, especially Tsume. Steven explained.

"He had revealed this to nobody, not even to his wife, and he asked his doctor to say nothing. You must know that it only takes a small electrical current to cause a heart attack to someone with this kind of health problem. "

The judges confirmed again by saying nothing. Incidentally, the Hokage had a disapproving glance toward the doctor, telling him they would talk about that later. Tsume was completely appalled. She didn't know that her husband was ill. How could she have miss such an important thing? Why did he not speak to her?

But Hiashi intervened to declare.

"Mr. Ryan, until now you show us what was the murder weapon and the cause of death. It's interesting, but it does not prove the innocence of Tsume Inuzuka."

Steven saw that the Hyuga did not intended to be patient with him. But that didn't surprised him a moment. They were obviously not going to be friends. The metalhead smiled saying.

"Straight to the point Huh? Let me explain: The way we have to prove the innocence of Tsume-San ... is to show you who's the real culprit."

The whole assembly was intrigued. The stranger had caught the jury's attention.

Steven whispered a question to Anko, who replied at the same volume.

"Front row, right half, third from the left."

Steven took a deep breath, took his courage in his hands, turned, located and pointed at the person Anko indicated saying, in a loud, confident voice.

"The culprit is YOU: Gaku Inuzuka"

The whole room seemed in shock, but the person pointed, Tsume and the children were the most surprised. Nobody could believe what was happening. The foreigner was accusing the victim's little brother. The Uncle of Kiba and Hana.

"Wh... What ?!" Exclaimed the new suspect, while voices rose from the assembly. "This is ridiculous! Hokage-Sama! You can not let this man accuse me like that!"

Sarutobi reached up and everyone silenced. He addressed to the young foreigner.

"These accusations you're making are serious."

"I do realize it, Hokage-Sama." Steven assured. "But if you let us continue, you'll understand."

Danzo did not like that at all. But Morino Ibiki announced calmly.

"I'm curious to hear what they have to say."

He was indeed interested and somewhat amused. He wished to see what one of his agents, and one of his former prisoners, had found together to accuse a respectable shinobi with such assurance.

"Me too." Signaled the Hyuga's leader.

He did not appreciate the young stranger. But he made him curious by showing this curious object, noting elements that nobody had found. And if, indeed, the one who was going to become head of the Inuzuka clan had killed his predecessor, he had to know it. There was no way for him to leave a Konoha's clan on the hands of an untrustworthy person.

The Uchiha uttered nothing and Danzo could only let the trial continue.

"So, please continue." The Hokage asked.

Gaku seemed angry, but even him knew that he could not oppose to a decision supported by the Sandaime, Morino and the Hyuga leader.

Steven explained, delighted to have captivated the right people.

"First, we must go back a little further in time. Six months ago to be right."

The judges frowned. Naruto clenched his fist, knowing that he would soon intervene. Steven had spoken to him before coming in, explaining that what was happening was important. The geek continued.

"At this time, I'm sure you know it, a civilian tried to attack Uzumaki Naruto."

They were actually aware of it. To attack this kid was something very serious for the leaders of the village. The news was unexpected, but not so surprising, for the rest of the public. Anko approached the judges table and put a bright object in the shape of a "J" which surprised them even more. The kunoichi explained.

"This is a weapon, lethal this time, from the same country as the first thing we presented you. With this weapon, the civilian attempted on Naruto Uzumaki's life. Is it not little guy? "

The judges looked at the child, who confirmed with a nod.

"A member of the ANBU with a dog mask was present." Steven added. "He would confirm this."

Knowing who it was, the judges looked from the corner of the eyes at Hatake Kakashi. This one made a discreet nod.

"Let's say we believe you Rai-San."

Steven was reassured and prosecuted.

"But you see, to be lethal, this weapon needs this."

Steven pulled out the box of ammunition and emptied it on the table, the metal bullets doing a strange melody. The Hokage took one of it and examined it while Anko continued.

"I spoke to the Anbu responsible of this case, Fox. He had questioned the civil but he refuses to speak and, shortly after he was arrested, had apparently committed suicide in his cell, while Fox was going to question him more. "

This information surprised Steven, but that didn't concerned him because it did not interfere with this trial. Mitarashi continued.

"But Fox could understand that he didn't get out of the village before, and that such a singular weapon, as described by Dog, would not go unnoticed in the village if it had been sold legally. So it was sold in secret. Fox had several suspect who could have brought this kind of object from outside the village. One of them was Akahiko Hasaki, but he was acquitted... "

The Hokage knew thanks to who it was. Steven completed.

"And another of his suspects was precisely Gaku Inuzuka."

New wave of astonishment in the public.

"He travels many times, often bringing diplomatic gifts and goods." Added the geek. "So he had brought the dangerous objects among his goods with little worried, because the guards trust him and searched with less attention. But the weapon used to attack Naruto is useless without the ammunition as I said. And that box, open and dusty, was with the same type of illegal objects that were used to kill Kuro Inuzuka. The deduction is simple, the one that brought these objects is one that also sold this gun to the civilian. The box was found on the Inuzuka domain and Gaku is the only one that had a real way to bring this kind of object, he automatically becomes suspect number one. "

Nobody dared to speak in the assembly. Fugaku Uchiha said.

"Then you accuse him of weapon trafficking. Will you finally talk about the murder?"

Steven said.

"We're getting there now. You see, Kuro Inuzuka died far from everything, and there was no sign of struggle. This added to the present injury on his back, we can conclude that he was with someone he trusted who had one of this electric weapons. But it had to be someone he trust enough to turns his back to him or her. Sick or not, he remained a well-trained ninja ... Certainly it could have been Tsume. But it wasn't because, as you have noticed, she has never seen such an object, she did not even know how to take it. And you've all seen his face when we revealed that her ex-husband had an heart condition, she was completely shocked. If she wanted to kill him, she would have not used such a machine. "

Everyone listened intently. Some were particularly surprised or captivated. Anko took over.

"We thought the culprit was this new ninja that Gaku introduced in the clan: Eiko and his dog Kamu But it was impossible…"

"Why?" Asked Danzo.

Steven had piercing eyes and a toothy smile. He raised a first finger and declared.

"Firstly: It happened three months ago, so he cannot be the one who sold the deadly weapon that threatened Naruto to the civilian. Now we have shown that the presence of this box, without which the weapon is useless, the one who sold it also was the one who was bringing electrical weapons and put them in this hidden box, which has been there for at least six months. "

Steven raised up a second finger.

"Secondly: We have clearly explained that Kuro could have been killed only by the hands of someone he trusted Only we know for sure, and no one can honestly say otherwise, that Kuro absolutely not appreciated Eiko. He distrusted him since he joined the clan. He would have never agreed to see him in the middle of the night far from everything. "

The public did not dare to say anything. The judges listened attentively. But a person arose screaming.

"This is ridiculous!" Gaku exclaimed. "You have absolutely not proved anything with your tall stories!"

But Steven didn't lost his temper. He looked into Gaku's eyes with his own half in the shadow and a sadistic air that worried Gaku himself.

"Oh don't worry." Pronounced the geek with a Machiavellian voice. "We saved the best for last."

The stranger held up a third finger.

"Thirdly ..."

He went back and Anko announced with one of her dark voices that only her knows how to do.

"After visiting the area, Rai-San separated from the rest of the group for a while. He was then threatened by Eiko which leads him to an alley to kill him. And you know what he said? "

The Inuzuka began to show signs of concern. Anko told him in the eyes, with a face of pure cruelty.

"He said: 'Gaku do not like people who doesn't mind their own business.' "

There, the suspect's eyes widened. The whole room inhaled with bewilderment. Gaku shaking. He stammered.

"He ... he's lying. It is obvious! Why would I ..."

"Kill your brother?" Interrupted Steven, who was again facing the Inuzuka. "I'll tell you."

He looked Gaku in the eye, raised his hands as if to state the obvious and declared.

"Actually, you didn't want to kill him."

This surprised even the public. The Geek explained, approaching Gaku as a predator to a trapped prey.

"You wanted to offer him to join your little traffic, that's why you had a TASER on you, to show your products. You brought him to an isolated place where you could do this discreetly. "

Steven dangerously approached the head of Gaku, making him sink into his chair.

"But he didn't agree with you. This whole thing did not pleased him. So he refused and turned your back on you. Why would he not? You were his beloved brother. He trusted you. And in a way, he was right, you did not intended to hurt him. You just wanted to silenced him, for example by locking him or something like that. So you used the stun gun to knock him out for a moment."

Steven pointed an accusing finger to Gaku.

"Except that you did not know that his heart could not bear it. You didn't know about his heart condition. So it is with terror that you realized you KILLED him."

Gaku's eyes widened more.

"And later, you were not very excited by the idea that your niece wanted to hire someone to help your step-sister. You even asked the Hokage, in a scroll, to not listen to her request. Because you knew that letting things going like this, Tsume, who you do not really appreciated, would be condemned, and you would become Clan's leader. So not only you killed your brother, and send Tsume to prison, but also you were trying to take the second thing he cared the most: the Clan. In fact the clan was perhaps your goal from the beginning. This is a story of empowerment. Is it not? All you wanted was to become Leader! "

Gaku was sweating. He was in a cold sweat. It was time to give the coup de grace. Steven turned and let Anko say.

"Right now, a ninja is bringing Eiko in a jail to interrogate him. You would better to confess before he gives a different version of the events."

The silence now reigned. Faces of stupor, amazement and even small smiles were visible.

'Interesting...' Kakashi thought.

Tears began to flow. Tears of anger, shame and sadness. They ran down the cheeks of the suspect. The judges, Tsume, the investigators and all the public were assisting to the fall of Gaku Inuzuka. It was over and he knew it.

He took his head in his hands trembling. He stammered, his voice full of grief.

"I ... didn't ... want ..."

Tsume had a hard time containing her fury.

"I didn't want ... to kill him..." Gaku repeated. "He was my brother dammit! It was an accident!"

All the eyes were on him. The only ones perfectly calm were the one of the judges. Sarutobi would almost smile, but it was a dramatic story, it would not be honorable to be happy about a man overwhelmed by regrets.

Gaku dared not open his eyes. He declared, in the nervous collapse.

"It's true that I killed him ... but it was an accident."

"And the gun?" Steven said, with anger. "You're going to pretend you did not know the civilian was going to use it to kill?"

"No ..." Admitted Gaku. "But I didn't know he would use it against a kid. If I had known I would have refused ... I swear ..."

Kiba was on the verge of exploding, he would have done if his sister wasn't holding him, eyes full of terror.

"I swear this is how it happened." Insisted the culprit. "I never wanted to hurt him. Everything else that Eiko would say is a lie."

Steven wanted to laugh. But he thought it was not fair. Even if he had killed someone, he was a man destroyed by regrets. Only he had to tell the truth now that this comedy was over.

"Eiko will not say anything." Informed the gamer "He ran away at the first difficulty."

Gaku looked up and mumbled, shocked by what he heard.

"But ... you said ..."

Anko announced almost proud of herself.

"It was a trick. He never talked about you. But now you admitted everything."

The Inuzuka seemed frozen, eyes wide open. His mind was foggy. All his life had collapsed.

The Sandaime said.

"I think we have what we need."

One of the ANBU guarding Tsume approached Gaku and made him stand up, taking him by the arm. There was no resistance. The ANBU took him towards the entrance of the court. Sarutobi said.

"You can take off Tsume-San's handcuffs."

The other ANBU complied. But the moment he took the bonds off, the Kunoichi ran upon Gaku and flattened him to the ground, before punching him, screaming with rage. It rained blows on his face with fury and hatred. Nobody dared to oppose to this struggle, or rather this wild animal attack ... Except a young man who had the impression of seeing all its efforts on the verge of being wiped out.

Steven grabbed one arm of the kunoichi telling her to stop. This was not enough to calm her, but his intervention managed to get her attention. Steven, carried away by an impulse he did not understood himself, said in a quiet but firm voice.

"Don't do that. Think about Kiba and Hana. They need you."

Tsume eyes widened and turned to her children. They were on the verge of crying. She dropped Gaku and joined her family, taking her children in her arms. Kiba and Hana began to cry, as much of grief than relief. One of the people they trust the most they had killed one of their loved one, but they had saved their mother.

Suddenly, more because of fear than hope of escape, Gaku got up and started running towards the door of the courtroom. But, not looking in front of him, he didn't saw that it was already open, and that a very authoritarian woman was there.

"You didn't had enough?" She said angrily.

This time, Gaku turned his head, he took a masterly punch that propelled him to the other side of the room at the speed of sound. Leaving the entire assembly in total bewilderment, including Anko, the judges, Tsume and the children. Steven, however, did not know how to react, it was cool and in total contrast to what happened a few minutes before.

Everyone looked toward the entrance and all, especially the five judges, open their eyes wide.

"I hope I do not interrupt anything." Declared the funny lady.

The Hokage stood up from his chair, shouting in surprise.

"Tsu ... Tsunade?!"

Steven did not fully understand. But given how people were surprised, or frightened, the woman was clearly someone important.

Then the geek heard a voice that seemed strangely familiar.

"Tsunade-sensei! What's going on?"

A young redhead girl in black sweatshirt with a strand of wooden beads, appeared in the doorway, with a worried face.

The girl saw what happened, but her eyes focused on the young with a shirt full of wolves.

Her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.

Steven's eyes widened as if he had seen an alien.

There was a moment of startled silence.

"STEVEN?" Screamed the young redhead.

"RIA?" Replied the geek.

* * *

Thank you for you patience and your loyalty ^^

Well… I hope actually you didn't abandoned my fic like a dead rat on the road XD

Maybe a little review or MP to see if you're satisfied and still there :P

I'm already translating the next Chapter. ;-)

List of references:

Game of Thrones, Saint Seiya, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil, Pandora Heart, Shadow of the Colossus, Mortal Kombat, Uncharted, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Danganronpa.


	12. Chapter 12

Alright, a new chapter and another one ready for Saturday ;-)

Happy?

First I say thank you to all my new followers; I'm always Soooo happy to have new readers.

* * *

Chapter 12

"STEVEN?" Screamed the young redhead.

"RIA?" Replied the geek.

With two foreigner amazed, a Tsunade intrigued by their reactions and a huge crowd shocked by the arrival of the Sanin, and what she had done... A heavy silence fell.

The jury also looked amazed, including the leaders of the Hyuga and the Uchiha clans.

The atmosphere seemed completely frozen by this sudden intrusion. No one dared to react for a moment. Not even Shizune and her pig, who were a little behind.

So it is the Londoner who broke the ice in a ... personal way.

His eyes moving from Rhiannon to the Sanin, his mind noted three things: The presence of his classmate, of course, but especially the power of the blond warrior beside her and her outrageously indecent mammary arguments.

As if the arrival of the redhead with wooden beads had made him forget where he was, and what happened just before, Steven expressed his amazement strongly.

"B-but what are you doing here? And who is that old living cliché?"

"Old?" Growled the Sanin.

Before anyone else could react, a wild fist smashed the gamer's skull, projecting him to the ground at the speed of light.

Shizune bellowed "Tsunade-Sama!" while the foreigner girl, and all the crowd in the room, wer very intimidated by this attack. The girl then looked at the face of Steven and discovered that the shock made him faint.

"Tsu ... Tsunade-sensei! You've knocked him out!" Exclaimed the teenager in black sweater.

The tall blonde seemed surprised.

"What?" She asked. "Yet I didn't used any chakra, since you told me that he wouldn't support one with."

"Yeaaaaah ..." Hesitated the redhead, kneeling near the geek. "But apparently he can't even bear a normal one."

Rhiannon added in thought.

'But thinking it's one of her fists, I am not sure we can really say it's normal.'

Steven therefore lay there on the ground, with a bloody nose, the mouth foaming and eyes closed.

In the few seconds between when he felt the pain on his face and when he lost consciousness, Steven had a fast migraine.

_He saw during a second a redhead princess doing archery in the Highlands._

* * *

_Some Hours later_

Steven eventually regain consciousness, shivering slightly, after a long and seemingly deep sleep, not directly opening his eyes. In addition to fatigue, he felt a very strong headache that made him frown. But he was surprised when he realized that in addition to this, he was a bit cold and had the profound feeling he had a very good time.

'I must had a beautiful dream.' He mused. 'But why do I not ever remember them dammit. It would be nice to see what I have in mind for a change. '

The boy felt that he was lying on some kind of bed, then he finally opened his eyes. His vision was quite blurred and he noticed a funny little noise, as if someone was tapping on the wood with a sharp object. The freshness he had felt disappeared because of the spring warmth of the room where he was. As the sweet feeling of joy did because of his headache. In no time, these strange impressions were only some memories, leaving him only with fatigue and pain. A new peak of migraine made him groan. The next moment, the tapping against the wood stopped and he heard footsteps approaching. He saw a face with orange hair over him.

"Are you okay? Finally awake?" Asked a female voice.

The Geek replied lamenting.

"I feel like I received a Mortal Kombat Fatality on the head..."

"Knowing what you received, I believe you. Even if it was not as gore."

'Ooooow ...' groaned inwardly Steven. 'Is there a healer somewhere? ... Wait a second ... SHE UNDERSTOOD MY REFERENCE? '

The geek's vision became clear. He discovered that the person who was looking at him was a young redhead, sweet-faced, with a slight smile and a strand with wooden beads.

"Ria?" Exclaimed the young man, rising. "Is that really you?"

The redhead replied, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, it's me. But calm down, you're going to faint again otherwise."

Normally Steven would have retorted, but he had to recognize that he was on the verge of having a heart attack. He looked carefully to be sure to not be dreaming and tried to relax by breathing slowly. It was complicated but he managed to reassure himself.

The teenager with wolves on his shirt looked around him, noting that he wasn't anymore in the courtroom, but in a small austere room equipped with a bed, a desk and a wardrobe. Moreover, he saw through the window that the sun was almost completely gone. The Geek then asked, still a bit unsettled.

"Where are we? What happened?"

Ria replied quietly, understanding his confusion.

"It's the infirmary of the Hokage's residence. You know, the big building where the Sandaime is."

The Londoner clearly reminded of this place. He had some… bad memories about it. Ria said.

"Tsunade smited you because you said she was an 'old cliché'. And she punch hard as you can see."

"Yeah ..." Confirmed Steven. "Besides, it only confirms what I say."

"Excuse me?" Ria asked, confused.

"Sorry but superpower associated with the breast more developed than those of a Soul Calibur's character, it bluntly reminded of some from Mainstream's manga."

Ria tried to reply. But, after some considerations, she giggled with embarrassment, admitting.

"Yeaaaaah, you're not completely wrong about that ... But try to be nice anyway with Tsunade-sensei. Only to be sur to survive."

"You know me. I'll try but if she's spoiling for a fight with me ... wait ... why did you call her Sensei?"

Ria sighed, rubbing her neck. She already seemed exhausted by the idea of the discussion they would have.

"It's a little complicated ..."

But before she could talk more, the door of the room opened on an ANBU with a fox mask. Steven didn't recognized him immediately. But with some little efforts, which worsen a little his headache, he remembered, he was the ANBU he had met during the Hasaki case and he asked Anko to find. The ninja then ordered to the two strangers.

"If you feel better, please follow me. The Hokage wants to talk to you."

The Geek moaned.

"Oooh no. The last time I was sent to jail."

Ria, obviously aware of this story, sighed at the stubbornness of his comrade, who obviously did not faltered since then.

Seeing that the ANBU didn't replied, probably by disinterest about his opinion, Steven raised his eyes to heaven and said with annoyance.

"Ok ok. But I can at least have an aspirin before we go? I have the impression that Darth Vader compressed my brain rather than my throat."

Rhiannon, to the astonishment of the geek, gave him in the second some medicine and a glass of water. She knew it would be necessary it seems. The young metalhead thanked her, then she explained.

"She punched me too once."

"This lady seems really charming." Quipped the geek before swallowing his aspirin.

"Do not judge her too quickly please." The redhead asked gently. "That's true she is ... well… a woman of character, but actually she's nice and she hasn't an easy life. Just give her a chance."

Steven saw in her eyes, even if she was smiling, that she wasn't searching excuses. She believed every word she said. The Geek understood, remembering he was in a manga universe, that Tsunade could indeed have a complicated past. This was generally the case in the Shonen. The gamer sighed and got up saying.

"Okay. But I hope she will at least apologize."

Ria hesitated a bit before admitting.

"Uh ... Excuse me but ... I know her enough to assure you that, about this, you're dreaming."

Steven growled announcing.

"I feel her and I ... We will not be friends."

The black hooded redhead feared that it actually was right.

The duo followed the ANBU with a fox mask that guided them to the office of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Along the way, Steven could not stop looking at her comrade. He had tons of questions to ask. He wasn't asking now simply because he was sure to have answers soon.

However, by observing her, he felt that something had changed in Rihannon. He wasn't sure what was different in fact. In his memories, he had left an ordinary teenager, more withdrawn than himself and really jaded. That's what he had seen in her attitude. But now she wasn't the same. She seemed ... more strong...

'The last time I noticed this kind of change ... 'he mused. 'It was in Liara T'Soni's personality in Mass Effect. That means she must had a lot of troubles. '

But before he could think more about it, they reached a door the geek directly recognized: the office of the Hokage.

Entering here, the group discovered the great ninja leader at his desk, very somber, and the famous Tsunade. The Ninjas stared at the English duo, which slightly worried Rhiannon and reminded bad memories to Steven.

The Hokage ordered to Fox to leave them, then invited the two teenagers to sit. Steven did not need to be prayed for this and sank almost on the chair, still exhausted by the day he had just undergone. The girl with wooden beads also sit. They then discovered that the famous TASER, the Colt Python and the box had Steven brought, earlier, was placed on the table of the village's leader. He then spoke in a tone quite annoyed.

"The situation has become ... quite surreal. I guess we can say that, is it not Tsunade?"

The Sanin replied irritably.

"Believe me, I thought exactly the same thing."

The Geek watched the old and é carefully. He did not have to think a long time to understand that they now knew more about him than before. It remained to know how much.

Rhiannon simply asked Tsunade, to be sure.

"What did you tell him?"

"Everything." Informed the Sanin. "It was easier that way. Even though it was very strange."

The redhead nodded, understanding. Steven arched an eyebrow, not knowing many more. So he reacted.

"I know how tyring it is to tell the same story twice, believe me, but could you explain everything to me please."

The Hokage and the tall blonde looked at Rihannon into his eyes. She knew why. They were not sure what the boy knew, or where to start, especially as it was a long story. Thus they let the girl in black sweater decide, and she had a simpler idea.

"Why don't you tell us what happened to you since the last time we saw each other?"

Steven gave her a surprised look. She added.

"And do not worry. If Tsunade-Sensei actually told everything, they know where we came from."

The redhead looked at the Sanin to silently asked if she had indeed told EVERYTHING to Sarutobi. She confirmed with a nod. But that made Steven asked to the ninjas, quite skeptical.

"And you believed her?"

The Sandaime explained that he had actually real difficulties to believe what they told him. But Tsunade told him, and show him, many things and he had seen how serious she was.

"What kind of things?" Interrupted the geek.

The old man then pulled out two objects of his shelf. Two small black blocks, each as big as a hand, Steven, despite the time away from home, recognized with a flabbergasted look. He looked towards Ria and spluttered.

"Is it ... Is it ...?"

The redhead confirmed his suspicions with a nod before telling him that she would explain later.

Steven could not accept what he had before him. It was indeed a pair of walkie-talkie. And not the kind you buy in a toy store. It was top-end models.

The old ninja ended by explaining he totally trusted Tsunade and she sworn to have told the truth. He knew she would have never reported such a foolish story without being sure of its veracity. Moreover, he could not deny the existence of the objects in front of him, nor the strange allure of the two teenagers.

Steven and was finally convinced that he could speak freely. But this radical change, he once imagined pleasant, really seemed weird in the end.

'I have the impression of being about to talk about the Doctor and his TARDIS to the Chantry of Ferelden ... Well, I guess if people were able to make Fanfictions with both series, I must be able to tell the truth ... more or less. '

The Geek then related all that happened. He talked about London, Professor Mitchell, the strange box and his arrival in Konoha, including the first incident with Anko. Then he explained his encounter with Naruto, which does not surprise that much the English girl, who had expected that his friend had met the famous little blond after six months in this place. But the part about the Colt, and the assassination attempt on Naruto, stuned her before making her show a face full of concern. She lost it when his companion said he was squatting the little blond's appartement.

Steven explained briefly the Hasaki case, which, this time, greatly surprised his comrade and the Sanin, to a lesser extent. The investigation and resolution pushed the blond warrior to ask to the Hokage if it was true. He confirmed. After that, the geek explained, with much displeasure, his first meeting with the Hokage and his time in prison and at the asylum, interspersed with torture attempted.

This part of the story enormously shocked the redhead in sweatshirt, but not the Sanin, who understood why the Sandaime took this decision.

The English boy spoke as if he was talking with rancor of an old memory he was tired of rehashed. He thought it was the right time to expulse his frustration. So he said wearily.

"Seriously Ria ... Not only I was scared every time someone was coming the first weeks, since it could have been to try to torture me again, but the worst is that I was bored to turn like a caged lion. No screen, no music and not even a manga. True Hell I swear. "

The redhead pointed wryly.

"I see you still have your own sense of priorities."

Steven continued.

"For food, there was only rice and a disgusting soup that even Kirby would not swallow. The futon was as comfortable as a wooden board. I have not seen the sky for weeks sometimes, and that's me who complain to show you horrible it was. The neighborhood… I don't even need to speak about it, they could have send me to the Arkham Asylum it would have been the same... "

This list was making the Hokage heavily sighing, who understood perfectly why Steven was doing this. But he still had the impression that it was more to annoy than anything else. However, he could not say much because he knew that it would have been for nothing, but also because what he was saying was true.

"And more important ..." insisted the geek. "I think they were turning the heat down some nights."

This accusation, however, surprised a little the Sandaime. Steven stopped, seeing his reaction.

"What are you talking about?" Asked the old man, a little disoriented. "We never have done such a thing."

The Geek reacted with skepticism.

"Sure. And how do you explain that I woke up once a week the body as frozen than after a Sub-Zero's attack? Obviously it could be due to some winds from my window ... IF I HAD ONE ! "

The three people in the room jumped a bit because of his scream. Ria was the most surprised.

'I've never seen him so angry ... 'she mused. 'Except maybe when he made the DLC of Biooo ... something, with the city under water or in the sky, I don't remember. He could not accept the end I think. '

The girl with wooden beads tried to reassure the teenager in a quiet but strict voice.

"No need to yell Steven. Nothing to make a fuss about and they probably tell you the truth."

The otaku replied, still annoyed.

"Because you think I'm going to believe people who stole one of my favorite Pentacle? Look! It's been six months that I have these two pendants on me."

"I repeat that we have not stolen anything from you." Insisted the old ninja, who began to lose patience.

"Tsk ... Sure." Steven got angry.

His comrade, not appreciating how the situation was going out of control, almost ordered to the boy with chains.

"Just tell us what happened next."

Steven tensed slightly when he saw the dark eyes she had on him. And discovered the irritated Hokage made him understand that he had perhaps said too much. But the bored Sanin made him wonder if she really cared about what was happening. It even seemed to him that she was saying.

'How noisy this boy is..."

The young guy with wolves on his shirt accepted the idea that he must relegate this asylum story to the past. At least, stop feeling resentment. He himself had told Naruto to not judge them, that their intentions were pretty good. Not willing to be at loggerheads with the village's leader forever, and because all the series, all the movies and all the manga that he saw before made him quite sympathetic. Steven sighed, did a big effort, and admitted, to soften the atmosphere.

"Well ... Everything wasn't so horrible actually."

This statement took everyone a bit by surprise. He continued.

"After a month you stopped trying to question me and left me alone. And I can understand that I was a bit sketchy, but I guess you understand that I could not tell you the entire truth sooner, right? "

Sarutobi nodded before letting Steven continuing.

"I was given my pendants back, my clothes were laundered regularly and ... my doctor, to not say guard, was nice enough to give me lessons to speak your language more fluently and know the basics of your world. Besides, he asked me to tell you he wanted a pay increase. "

The three people with him were not sure how to react to this sudden about-face. Only Sarutobi saw his eyes on the floor and understood his weary tone that betrayed that he was sincere but had to do an effort to pronounce these words. He thought about why he had done it. Steven was someone pretty brutal when he was talking, but basically very honest. To not say what he said would have been a little unfair for him. And he didn't want that the two of them stay eternally angry. It had probably been very difficult, for a headstrong person like him, to do what he had done. He had tried to be more sympathetic with the Hokage, and he knew how to appreciate someone's efforts. It was to him to do the same.

"Well, I must admit that I may have been a little too ... harsh with you." Recognized the old man. "Let's try to forget about that for now."

"It's okay with me." Steven agreed, to the Rhiannon's relief.

"But about the pay increase, I already told him it's a No."

"Well in the end there was the Inuzuka case..."

This time, the geek finished it quite fast, the Hokage knew the main details. But when he spoke about the case, the TASERS, Colt and the Gaku Inuzuka's small Traffic, rather than surprise, the three people in the room had darker faces, as if he had just confirmed their worst fears.

Once finished, the group was silent. Steven didn't know what they had in mind, but he could see that it was not cheerful at all. He then asked his comrade.

"So, will you tell me what happens?"

She looked up at him and asked, just to be sure.

"It's really all you have to say?"

Steven lied slightly.

"Yeah, that's it. But it's not so bad for us, don't you think?"

Ria chuckled.

"I see what you mean. Well, I guess it's time to tell you my story is it not?"

The Hokage and the geek had an approving silence. The Sanin already knew everything.

"Steven, let's start with the beginning. When you disappeared with Mitchell because of this strange box, in the forest, I really thought I had lost my mind. I was dreaming, it was the only explanation. But the fact was that you and the crates had indeed disappeared. "

Now that she was talking about it, Steven seemed to remember something. Looking at the little box he had found on Inuzuka's domain, he realized it was the same type of box that the professor had with him when he was transported to this world.

Ria continued.

"At first, I didn't know how long I stood there, wondering what was happening and what to do. I discovered after that it was a full hour in fact. You will understand why later. I thought to look for the other professor and students, but they would never have believed me. Then the plasma sphere reappeared, and when it cleared, I saw the Professor. "

The Geek, grasping the tone of the redhead, believed that she was not at all happy to talk about him. She even seemed to control, but not hide, a deep hatred towards him.

"To tell you the truth, I was frozen in place. Unable to move. After he calmed down and wanted to explain everything to me. I first wanted to know where you have been. He had the 'very troubled by your question' air, he did not know what to say. Then he showed me this ... box. "

There the English teenager listened more carefully.

"He called it the Pandora."

'What an original name ...' Considered the geek.

"It is a machine that he created himself in his house outside office hours."

"WHAT?!" Steven exclaimed, startling everyone.

He realized he had screamed and apologized.

"Sorry ... it's just ... it's really weird what you just said. I know that people did great games in their cellar, but something that can transport you in another world ..."

"Don't worry." Reassured the redhead. "I was as shocked as you when I learned that. I will explain. You know as well as I do that Mitchell is a genius."

"It would be hard to deny it after all this."

"Sure. And long before he worked for the British Army. He was doing research in quantum physics or something like that. It was him who told me. He had to imagine machines that would gave to the military any kind of tactical advantage."

"Why does it not surprise me?" Quipped the geek.

Ria did as if he said nothing.

"He worked for them a few years apparently. He was highly respected, but he said that his genius quite attracted him the jealousy of some of his colleagues."

"I didn't remember he was so big-headed."

"Me neither Steven. But ... He worked on lots of topics, usually some that we relegate to science fiction. Like teleportation, pass through walls, etc ... According to him, the latest research in its domain made it not completely impossible. Or at least there was good reason to do research about this."

Steven almost asked if she believed it. But he thought that, after all they had seen, having an open mind was a necessity to not go mad.

"With time, he ended up theorizing that the mind might have more effect than we imagine."

What she just said disturbed a little his comrade.

"Uh ... What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't understood everything I must confess. But, to stay simple, he wondered what role or impact might have the unconscious on the matter, or at least on our own bodies. He was not so much interested by this himself, it was more for curiosity and it sounded too much like 'parapsychology' for him. But the more he advanced on it, the more he thought he was about to find something big. Except that the military fired him, keeping all his work before it could do tests, claiming he had never invented anything useful. But Mitchell said it is some generals and scientific colleagues who preferred to get rid of him to exploit the result of his efforts in their own way. I don't know if that's true but what matter here is that he finished jobless and that they ruined his reputation by calling him a lunatic to be sure he wouldn't continue his research elsewhere. That's why he became a professor, he had to change careers to survive. "

Steven had to recognize that it felt strange to accept this. In normal circumstances, he would have thought it was crazy. But it seemed that almost nothing was impossible now, as it was a logical step to explain it. Rhiannon continued his story.

"So, to support his working days, he began to pursue some researches at home. Over time, he ended up trying to invent a machine to analyze the unconscious frequencies, or something like that. And it allowed him to detect a strange signal which, after much effort, he could answer ... Well then I'll ask you to have an open mind ... "

The Geek asked, curious and surprised.

"You mean more than after agreeing to have been swung into an imaginary world?"

Ria hesitated before admitting.

"... Yeah, I guess that's fine. Well, the signal was coming from this world."

Steven arched his eyebrows in astonishment, but let her continue.

"To be precise, it was from a ninja clan called Sokora."

That name seemed to upset the Hokage. Steven saw him and asked.

"You know them?"

The Sandaime, understanding it was better to tell everything, explained to the English boy.

"It's a very ancient clan but quite dead. They have lost a lot of members during the last war. They have only four or five members now."

"Four, counting the little girl." Ria announced, the face apparently contorted by the anger she was containing as much as possible.

The Hokage continued.

"They are almost unknown to the general public as they are extremely discrete and isolated on a small island belonging to them, in a region very unfavorable for navigation, but they had a residence here in Konoha. We, ninjas, know them because they had strange, but very effective, jutsus capable of canceling enemies' techniques based on chakra. But also techniques that open passages to other places in the world. It was very convenient, though it uses a lot of energy. But their reputation and effectiveness catch our enemies' attention and they were quickly targeted and murdered. When the conflict ended, the clan leader said they would retire on their island without giving any news since. The council and I were not very enthusiast about this idea, but we couldn't stop them. They closed their home and left. We rarely called them since. "

Sarutobi frowned, before declaring.

"Their leader is called Takeshi Sokora."

Seeing his reaction, and Tsunade, quite similar but more visible, Steven tried.

"You don't appreciate him at all it seems."

"It's not about appreciate or not." Admitted the Sanin. "He is a very powerful ninja, this is undeniable, and he's not a bastard, believe me I know some real ones. But after the conflict, he left Konoha insulting all of us, saying we were responsible of all the dead on his clan, including his brother, his son and their wives. He did not accept that we all had lost people we loved. It was very selfish. "

Steven understood a little the Sokora's reaction. If he had lost all the people he loved because of a call to arms, he also would have been very angry. But he had to recognize that to do so, without thinking about what others felt, was quite childish.

"I see." He said simply. "What happened next Ria?"

The redhead spoke again.

"These techniques that the Sokora masters have an effect on space. So, when Takeshi meditated ... mixing his chakra, that's all I understood, he was apparently spread out in space-time. It was this that was detected by Mitchell. He created a machine to communicate with this signal, a little like the Morse code, and with time, the professor has improved the system and mixed it with secrets that Takeshi agreed to share with him. Intrigued by all that, in the end, after months of work, the association of Sokora's secrets and Mitchell's knowledge has enabled him to create the Pandora: A device able to 'transport' things from one world to another. "

Steven began to feel dizzy. He had the impression to have a new headache. He then asked something to his friend, as if the two ninjas were not there.

"But ... this world ... Did he told you if there was others by any chance? Or why does it exist simply?"

Rhiannon understood his curiosity and tried to answer it as best possible.

"He said there certainly are others. But he thinks it is indeed our unconscious, from the people from where we come from, who give birth to them. He said we must imagine these worlds like... parallel universes, like endless sheets of paper, it was him who explained it to me that way. But there's a sheet on the top of the package apparently, our world, and every time someone imagine something with enough information to structure it, this idea potentially form a new dimension. But some criteria must be met apparently to make it happen. This idea need to have enough structure to not just be an idea, because otherwise any drawing on a paper would create a different world, you need a minimum of information to form a universe, but I do not know how much. And enough people must be aware of this universe to actually unconsciously create it. But we don't known how many persons for that too. "

Steven began to understand some things, but it brought him more questions.

"But ..." he Tried. "Do you think our home world also was born like that way?"

The redhead with pearls was not really surprised by this question.

"I also asked that to the professor. He said it is not impossible but there is absolutely no way to know it."

Steven sighed, while Ria continued to tell her story.

"Then, one year ago, Mitchell was able to travel to this world. He met Takeshi and saw his grand-daughter, Nijiko Sokora. She was very sick, Mitchell offered to help her and returned to our… world. He came back with medical information and medications that helped to treat Nijiko, without asking anything in exchange. "

This part of the story greatly surprised the young man with pendants. Mitchell saved a little girl from another world, whereas he had no obligation doing it. The slightly pained eyes of the two ninjas showed Steven that they were not completely insensitive to what happened.

"After that, Mitchell and Takeshi had great discussions, including about how to improve the Pandora and what it could do. Simply, it only allows to go from point A in our world to the Sokora Domain and return to point A after an hour, because it takes a while for the devise apparently to recharge. But he thinks he can do much more soon. When he will understand how the space-time location in parallel worlds works, he thinks he will be able to translate the coordinates in a simple language rather than vague information he merely registered, copy and paste. That's why he don't try to go to other universes, he could very well be transported in the void of space or in the center of the earth. "

Steven then asked something that tickled his mind.

"But ... what about me? I arrived outside the Sokora domain."

Ria seemed dismayed by this question. She rubbed her neck, under the eyes of the intrigued ninjas, before admitting.

"To say the truth... Your case is problematic. When Mitchell uses the Pandora, it is an obligation to touch it. When he tried to travel with a mouse in a cage next to him, it never reached its destination, unlike the cage. "

This revelation caused concern that made the geek swallow.

"He tried again with a mouse in his pocket, and this time it was there. This made him understand that the Pandora, when it teleports, has no problem with inanimate objects, but not the living beings that are not into contact, even indirect, with it. He speculated that it would be because the vital energy of living beings, or chakra in this world, is also 'Alive', in opposition of that objects that are 'Static'. So it interferes with the calculations of the Pandora. But, to be sincere ... We thought you were dead. "

"Excuse me?!" Exclaimed the geek.

"Not directly! I swear." She promised. "We first thought you were elsewhere, but found no trace of you. Probably because you were in prison the next day. But after a while ... We gradually abandoned, since we didn't know the exact effects of the Pandora ... But I'm glad to see you're alive. And your disappearance hasn't gone unnoticed. The police announced your disappearance, there's been news on TV. But I think everyone believed you ran away. "

Steven sighed. It should have make him happy that people were looking for him. But if it was police officers, it was their job. He suspected that it was not the same for his family. The black hooded redhead then begun the hardest part of her story.

"Finally, Sokora and Mitchell discussed about this world, its political instability ... and the life of innocents people who suffered the war as much as the ninjas. They decided to 'improve' people's lives. Mitchell asked me to join his project as I was now aware the Pandora's existence. I agreed because I really felt that he was improving things for people on the Sokora island when I came. I was simply transporting boxes, buying things for him or help to install the equipment on the island. I was coming once a week more or less, then more when the summer holidays arrived. Mitchell brought them a lot of things from our world, mainly medicines they had not yet discovered or technology upgrades for their power grid. So during those six months I helped. I have even... befriended one of Sokora, Nozomi. He was a good guy. He even taught me some combat tricks... "

The Geek saw his comrade was clenching her fist when she was talking about this Nozomi.

"But, some days ago I discovered that Sokora and Takeshi's projects were more extreme that I could have imagined. I knew what there was in the boxes most of the time, in those that I had to fill myself for example. But I found out that some of them contained weapons and other deadly objects like grenades for examples. I do not know how Mitchell could have found all this, but when I asked him some explanation, he tried to tell me it was the best way to improve this world. "

The young man frowned.

"He and Sokora want to sell weapons to people who are favorable to their project, and to the enemies of those who are not. I said that it was shameful to do this, to manipulate the world like that, but he just said to not be naive and think about it. I do not know which of them had this idea, or what make them believe in this solution, but they seemed determined. I talked to Nozomi and he said he did not want that. He also thought he was doing the right thing, because he trusted Takeshi. But when he heard this, he told me to leave and to not interfere anymore with this. I wanted to do it, negotiate with Mitchell to let me go home and not talk to me again. Except I've surprised him planning the murder of Tsunade ... and they did not want it to fail like the one of Naruto."

The Geek thought.

'They seems like Assassin's Creed's Templars.'

"When I realized that their plan meant to kill the hero of this story, I wondered if I could really go away so easily. I talked with Nozomi and ... we had a plan. He helped me to stole and use the many weapon crates, to slow down their operations while I distract Mitchell's attention by acting like I was considering his proposition, asking questions. Nozomi and I quietly infiltrated Mitchell's room during a stormy night, when he was absent, then we went on the beach quietly with the Pandora. It was dangerous to sail with this weather but it was the best way to be discreet. Except that we were spotted by Genkishi, a Sokora, and he took me hostage."

Everyone saw how Ria had trouble talking about this event.

"Nozomi confronted him and told me to run away with the boat. I wanted to refuse but Genkishi had already taken the Pandora. And when I saw his weapons ..."

Ria clenched her fists.

"I was scared ... so I ran away like a coward. And when I was far away, I saw Nozomi ... be killed."

Steven was a little pained seeing his comrade holding her tears.

"Genkishi probably wanted to catch me but, because of the storm, my boat capsized and I was quite drowning. I survived by some miracle and woke up on a beach near a weapon's crate that the current had carried because it was almost empty. I stayed there, lamenting a while. But then I recovered, took what was in the bow then looked for Tsunade myself... "

Rhiannon's comrade understood what she had done had to be excruciating. She was now stuck on a strange world with no hope of seeing her family, which was worried for her.

Rhiannon added.

"After that, I finally found Tsunade, saved her from an assassination attempt by Genkishi and a Sniper ..."

This information almost confuse the geek, but he began to get used to it.

"And I told her everything. She did not believe me right away but the next day we were again attacked by mercenaries equipped by the Sokora. They had no guns, fortunately, but the walkie talkies and the information Tsunade manages to make them tell convinced her. And when I saw her fighting, I decided to never be as weak as when I left Nozomi. So I asked her to take me as a disciple."

Steven, appalled by the new, turned his gaze to the Sanin who guessed his question.

"She saved my life ..." the blonde admitted feisty. "I owed her that."

Ria finally finished her story.

"Then we got to Konoha, we sought the Hokage and Steven ... you know what happened next."

Indeed he knew and would remember for a long time. He looked annoyed and angry at the Sanin, more afflicted than anything else.

'Am I dreaming or is he provoking me?'

The Geek sighed before asking to everyone.

"So... what do we do now?"

Tsunade and Ria looked toward the Hokage, who seemed to think deeply. IHe then explained.

"We will end the Takeshi Sokora's activities before it causes disasters. All these stories of parallel worlds must remain between us, more Shizune-San of course. This will be the biggest secret in the history of Konoha, no doubt. Officially, you two comes from a country beyond the sea, as told Rai-San, and Sokora is actually producing weapons from your country thanks to the knowledges of this Mi-Che-Ru-San to destabilize the ninja world. And I'll keep an eye on Naruto and other potential targets of their killers, Ria-San told us who it would be. "

Tsunade and Rhiannon approved with a nod. They were thrilled that the Hokage was serious about this, but they doubted that it would be enough. Steven was still very confused by what he had learned about Mitchell, and he was just glad they were thinking about Naruto's protection. Then a little awareness came to the mind of the Sandaime.

"Ria-San ... If you say that Rai-San knows nothing of this world and its people, I guess he does not know about what makes Naruto their target. I think that, given how you are involved and the future risks, he should know, if he promises not to say anything. "

"I agree." Confirmed the redhead.

But the geek, who put his hands behind his head with a more relaxed air that they anticipated.

"If you're talking about the fact that he is the container of the Nine-Tails demon, I already know this."

The shock was violent to Sarutobi and Tsunade, a little less for Ria. These frightened face… Steven had to recognize he loved that. He smirked and explained in a nonchalant way.

"When I was put in the asylum, the doctor told me what happened during the attack of the Kyûbi demon. He also showed me pictures of the Hokages when he learned me a little of your History. When I saw how much the Yondaime Hokage and Naruto looked like, I understood there was some kinship. Frankly, you hoped to hide it to whom? I really wonder how your villagers could not make the connection. "

Tsunade and Sarutobi blinked eyes for a moment before lowering their head, realizing that he was not completely wrong.

"Then I learned that the Yondaime was known for his Seals Jutsu and I remembered that people think Naruto is related to the fox demon. So, you can imagine that the link was despicably easy. I had more trouble with the first Aperture Science test room. "

Rhiannon sighed at his reference that she had perfectly understood. It was refreshing to Steven to finally being understood. The redhead was not a geek like him, he knew that, but as an average Londoner with a high-speed internet, there was a minimum of geek culture that was not unknown to her.

Seeing the Hokage a little embarrassed, Steven ... pleasantly appreciated this view with great pleasure. But his friend did not really like that and she growled, glaring at the English with pendants who lost his smile, without being really intimidated. He sighed and finally asked to the Sandaime.

"Good but otherwise ... What do we do? Ria and I?"

The two ninjas looked at Rhiannon and Steven and the redhead explained.

"I'm staying with Tsunade, I have a room in her hotel, because she will instruct me."

Tsunade explained to the Hokage.

"I really wanted to be quiet and to get away from this village... But now that I'm a target, this is one of the only place where I will be safe. But do not expect me to help you. "

That was not very pleasant for Sarutobi, but he couldn't do anything. He then turned his gaze to Steven who declared.

"I will surely return to Naruto's apartment. I have no house, no job, no Sensei... and I must retrieve my bag."

This information puzzled the ancient ninja, who asked.

"Your bag ... Is it full of objects, say, typical of your world?"

"Yes." Steven confirmed.

"So it would be better that you do not use them."

"In your dreams." Steven said quietly and simply.

The Sandaime growled, directly understanding that he could do nothing to prevent it, except locking him again, but he was not a dictator.

"Well ..." breathed Sarutobi. "At least try to be discreet."

The Geek said.

"I promise nothing. It would be like asking the Slipknot drummer to play without disturbing the neighbors. But look on the bright side, if you plan to watch Naruto, you will have an eye on me at the same time."

The Sandaime realized that Steven knew he was already monitored, and it was not a bad thing. And he had to recognize that he was right.

"Alright. In that case I suggest we stop this ... meeting. I will call you if I need to talk to you. Until then, do not do anything stupid and all will be fine."

The foreigner understood it was not a threat. They got up, but before leaving, the geek questioned the Hokage indicating the modern objects on the desk.

"What do you intend to do about this?"

The Sandaime replied gently, taking the Colt with both hands.

"I will present it to some of my ninjas to warn them and start looking for traces of uses of these ... things."

Steven nodded and turned. He was not comfortable with the idea of leaving so dangerous objects from his home world in the hands of people trained to kill, and in a world where the battles were an ordinary thing. But he didn't had the choice. So he ends up getting out of the room with Tsunade and Rhiannon.

No one tried to speak, the situation was too strange. And anyway, Steven had too much in mind to have a real discussion. When they get outside of the building, they realized that night had already fallen. Then a female voice catch their attention.

"Rai-san ..."

The trio turned to the source of the voice. They then discovered the famous Inuzuka Tsume. She seemed to have wait outside the boy with pendants. She approached him, which surprised him to see her. He was a little uncomfortable when she looked him straight in the eyes without speaking. This was accentuated by the fact that her face revealed nothing about what she had in mind. His surprise, and the one of his two companions, was huge when Inuzuka bowed low before the foreigner.

The clan leader then declared.

"Thank you so much for all you have done for me and my family."

Steven stammered, not knowing what to do except to bow.

"P ... Please get up. It was nothing."

She got up smiling, amused by what he just said.

"Nothing?" She said, amused. "You almost saved my life and my family at the same time ..."

She lost her delighted air for one which seemed full of disappointment.

"... Revealing there was a traitor among us."

Steven realized that she was still angry against Gaku. It was quite normal. And when the Inuzuka case came to his mind, he thought something needed to be done. He bowed again and said with a sudden respect.

"My condolences for your husband."

The young man and the victim knew she was not officially married anymore, but it seemed to him that this detail was not very important now. Tsume seemed to stand still, but she thanked him nonetheless. Not wanting that an awkward silence sets in, the English teenager asked her.

"Where are Hana and Kiba?"

The kunoichi sighed responding.

"They are at home. Probably crying or sleeping. They just learned that their father was killed by their uncle ... They will need time to recover."

Steven sighed with melancholy. He felt he was the reason of their grief. Seeing how dejectedly he was, Tsume said with a blank smile, a little forced but which gave a good feeling.

"Don't worry. It's Gaku the culprit and you brought justice. You did the right thing."

Steven looked her in the eyes, not yet fully convinced. But with time, he would probably end up accepting the idea. He then asked, a little concerned.

"And you? Are you okay?"

The kunoichi looked down before responding.

"I will recover I think. I knew I was not popular but everyone was not against me neither. I'm going to lecture the clan I think, especially now that stability has been undermined. "

Steven understood what she meant and spoke.

"You'll have to be strong for the clan be united behind you."

Tsume confirmed with a nod. It was the only thing to do for the Inuzuka clan to not disperse. And after Gaku's traffic was revealed, they would probably have to keep a low profile.

"What Gaku did ... was dishonorable." Continued the Inuzuka. "The village will surely not trust us for a while."

The youth understood this to the wick. The wild kunoichi said then.

"However, the Hokage supports us. By working hard and adjusting our internal affairs ... we'll surely overcome this."

"You think you'll be able to manage all this?" Steven asked politely.

Tsume seemed a little annoyed by this question, because it reminded her of something unpleasant.

"I'll do my best ... Kuro knew how to use words. But without him, I'm going to try to do like him."

Steven was vexed a bit for having reminded her about her husband, but it was not his fault this time, he doubted it. She wished him a good night and turned to go. But seeing her sad, something came to Steven's mind. He seemed to remember what really animated his melancholy ... And called her before she goes.

"Inuzuka-san ..."

The mother stopped and looked at him. She seemed quite pained.

The young man told him, without interruption.

"I suspect that you want to know why your husband had hidden his condition and left you."

This took Tsume by surprise. But Steven knew he was right.

"I think the answer is obvious: it is because he really loved you. He knew that if you knew about his heart condition, you would have changed your behavior and he wanted the clan to have a.. strong leader. He could no longer fulfill this function and you were the only one he considered able to do it. He left you because he wanted to protect the clan and to not make you change your personality ... Because he loved you just as you are. He preferred to see you angry against him rather than becoming another person. "

The Inuzuka eyes were completely wide open. Just like those of Rhiannon and Tsunade. Steven was satisfied then turned and advance by calling the two other girls.

"Come on. I'm a little hungry. Let's go eat tempuras for a change."

A little disconcerted, the Sanin and his disciple looked each other for a moment before following the geek with wolves, Tsume just stood there, like a statue.

After the trio had disappeared in an alley. Tsume began to walk slowly, almost mechanical, mind confused at first, then invaded by memories of her ex-husband: Their first meeting, when she made him fall from a tree when he was taking a nap, for pure pleasure to annoy him, the times when he helped her calm down, their marriage, their children, the day she took care of him like an overprotective wolf...

She paused near a wall, left a deep anger rise in her, and then punched the stone of the wall. She seemed to shake. Then a tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered.

"... Baka ..."

* * *

In a restaurant that served tempura, Steven enjoyed his fifth dish with such a visible and noisy satisfaction that his comrade in sweatshirt was disgusted.

"Stop this!" she huffed. "It's disgusting!"

Steven broke off suddenly, disoriented, swallowed what he had in his mouth and replied.

"No, it is normal to make noise when you eat in Japanese culture."

"Don't think I'm an idiot. I know it's only with noodles."

"Damn." Joked the geek. "And I was thinking about taking advantage of the ignorance of a naive young girl."

Ria gave him a violent kick under the table.

"OUCH! Are you crazy Sonia Blade Junior?"

The redhead did not even answer. She just eat, what the geek with a strand also did, not wanting to spoil the meal with an argument. They were finally quiet and both wanted to enjoy this moment. Tsunade had left them earlier, preferring some bar where they played cards than a dinner with two foreigner.

The duo had nothing against the idea, especially as Rhiannon learned from Shizune that it was useless to stand between Tsunade and games. But if she needed money, she had to ask for it BEFORE she plays.

The two English teenagers then ate in a tempura restaurant, Steven refused with a disgusted look the small ramen restaurant Rhiannon suggested.

During the meal, the geek had overwhelmed the redhead with questions about games, movies and anime that came out during his absence. But, to his great misfortune, she could not answer to any of them. He gave up the question a little before she decides to knock him out with her fist.

After a moment, when she seemed more calm and receptive, Steven was tempted to ask her something. Something that worried him for a while but he could not tell in front of other people.

"Uh ... Ria?" He called out hesitantly.

"Hmm? Whad iv id?" She asked with a tempura in her mouth, Steven didn't care about that.

"I wanted to ask you ... After your travels with this box, the Pandora, did you ever had... visions?"

To say that the question surprised her would be an understatement. She swallowed her tempura shrimp and asked him, quite skeptical.

"What are you talking about?"

"It means no ..." concluded Steven.

He hesitated again, but as he began with this subject, he continued.

"Since I arrived in this world, sometimes ... in fact very often, almost every day, when I go to sleep or when I faint, I have an apocalyptic, but quick, migraine and see things for a short time."

Ria did not know how to react to what revealed his comrade. So she asked, very puzzled and worried about the geek.

"Whaaat kind of things?"

"I forget it during the day, like dreams. But, for example, when your mad Sensei punched me, I think I saw a red-haired girl with a bow in Scotland."

This description reminded something to Rhiannon. But despite an effort of memory, did not remembered where she had seen this before. Steven added.

"It only last one-tenth of a second but I think that was exactly this."

"How can you be sure if it was so short?"

Steven thought for a moment, not quite sure what words to use. He nevertheless tried.

"It's hard to explain ... It's as if it was a picture in my mind that dissolves slowly. So I'm still conscious of it. Some comes back often I think, but they also fall into oblivion."

Rhiannon did not know what to say. She had almost the feeling of having received the confessions of a mentally ill person. But after the Pandora's story, and seeing that Steven was apparently not joking , she accepted what he said... as a possibility.

"You are certain that it was not simple dreams? Or your imagination?" She asked.

"Absolutely." He affirmed. "I know what a dream is, even if I have the impression to have some very rarely. And it was not the same thing. It only happen a moment before I lost consciousness."

The redhead thought for a moment. But the truth was she had no idea what he meant by that. She could not help but confess her ignorance. It was Steven who said, sighing.

"And I guess if I speak to you about a man with a checked shirt you will know nothing is it not ..."

Ria arched an eyebrow.

"Is it one of your 'visions' too?"

Steven just said quietly.

"Maybe ..."

Both finished their meal in silence. The young geek because he was lost in thought, the girl in black sweatshirt by embarrassment. With none suspecting that the man in checked shirt was actually observing, standing right next to them.

* * *

During this time, in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi continued to study the strange objects he was supposed to be looking for around the world now. He was really worried. All that was revealed to him was enough to make anyone mad, or send someone to asylum. He then heard someone knocking at the door. He gave permission to enter and saw the ANBU with a fox mask entering in the room.

The Sandaime put down the Colt Python that he had in his hands and asked the masked ninja.

"What is it Fox?"

"Hokage ..." Hesitated ANBU. "I'm sorry but ... I have to express my concern."

Sarutobi frowned, somewhat worried too suddenly.

"About what Itachi-San?"

The ninja took off his mask, revealing his bare face wreathed in black silky hair, before declaring.

"I think ... that my family have some doubts."

* * *

Outside the village, a strange man in black coat with an orange mask, with only a hole for an eye, seemed to observe the village of Konoha. There was no way to know what he had in mind, melancholy or Machiavellism.

He was on guard when he heard a rustling leaf. And when he turned, he found two ninjas and a black dog he had never seen before. One of the warriors had his eyes surrounded by black tattoos in the shape of sharp lines around the eyes, a beard that seemed as sharp, and a hitai-ate with the symbol of Konoha under a blade mark. The other fighter had long white hair and a face perfectly expressionless, but without any headband. The black dog with a scruffy fur, however, seemed ready to bite everything that would pass near him.

Oddly, neither ninjas seemed to want a fight.

"Tobi-San I presume ..." the tattooed ninja supposed, with a voice more bored than anything else.

This made the person concerned frown.

"Who are you?" Asked the man in black.

The tattooed warrior replied by presenting his partners.

"He is Eiko, and this is Kamu. Call me Sokora Genkishi."

This name was not unknown to the man with the orange mask.

"What do you want?" He continued.

Genkishi explained with his more diplomatic tone.

"We have a proposition for you. ... To you and your colleagues."

Tobi seemed very intrigued and quite distraught. These people knew a lot. Too much. He asked.

"What kind of proposition?"

It is Eiko who answered.

"You will soon or may have already encountered an Uchiha in an unenviable position."

If the two ninjas had already made Tobi curiosity, they had now his attention.

"But then ..." Continua Genkishi. "He will have to perform a massacre."

Eiko added.

"We want that you do not participate."

The masked ninja was very intrigued. These people were obviously not anybody.

"Why?" Asked Tobi.

"Our motivations are not your concern." Eiko explained.

"But we have an interesting compensation in exchange for your ... neutrality." Informed Genkishi. "Things that could make your colleagues of the Akatsuki very happy."

This statement seemed to disturb Tobi. But he had to admit that these people interested him now. He did not feel any lies or attempt to manipulate him, and if there was actually, he would not hesitate to make them disappear.

"I'm listening." Tobi declared, to the delight, not shown, of the other two ninjas.

Eiko, Kamu and Genkishi turned and said to the ninja in black.

"Follow us. You will be more receptive directly seeing the merchandise."

The four figures disappeared into the darkness of the woods, under the anxious eyes of a man in checked shirt that nobody could see.

* * *

Thank you for your loyalty ^^

I hope you liked this chapter

List of references:

Diablo 3, Brave, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur, Star Wars, Mass Effect, Doctor Who, Dragon Age, Kirby, Batman, Mortal Kombat (again), Bioshock Infinite, Assassin's Creed, Portal, Mortal Kombat (again)

And if you didn't understood, the moment when Steven is angry because of his nonexistent window is a reference to a meme called: "If I had one"

A review maybe?


	13. Chapter 13

Hello everybody. ^^

The next case begins at the end of the chapter. First I want to let Steven rest and explain some things.

Let's go ! See you down.

* * *

Chapter 13

_Steven felt weird. Very weird. He was in a dark, gray room. The carpet was gray. As the wallpaper. The young man was curled up in a corner, near a window overlooking a stormy night without moon._

_He saw a redhead Sniper struggling against waves of disgusting creatures in a ruined city._

_The place was lit only by a small nightlight. This low light and the thunders revealed no furniture other than a white crib, whose appearance seemed like a cage._

_The young man was uncomfortable, and actually frightened. Huddled in a corner, looking indifferent, he did not seemed to pay attention to the baby cries that filled the room from the cradle. He didn't know the cause of this sorrow, even if he felt like he actually know. Was it the storm or the mobile full of butcher knives turning above his head?_

_From where he was, Steven could not see the child. And, in fact, he didn't want to see. This idea strangely frightened him. He ended up being more and more blinded by a bright white light._

_He saw a boy a little silly trying to tame a stubborn black dragon._

* * *

Steven painfully opened his eyes. His worst enemy was again burning his retinas.

He could not clearly remember his dreams, obviously. But his =exhaustion and the deep unease he felt made him think he had a nightmare.

'Oow ...' the young man moaned inwardly. 'I didn't slept so badly since my Slenderman's soirée ...'

The geek, lying on his sleeping bag at the foot of the little blond's bed, passed a hand over his face thinking.

'Perhaps I shouldn't have told this story to Naruto ... I'm completely exhausted.'

Not feeling able to sleep again, because of the sun, the young English began slowly to sit and stretched a good shot, his eyes on the verge of closing. He looked at his black watch to discover that it was still early, understanding more his extreme exhaustion. Then he noticed something odd. He slowly turned his head towards the child's bed. But, to his surprise, he didn't find him, as his blanket. He then discovered what had caught his attention. Some light seemed to come from under the furniture.

Curious, Steven looked below and saw a scene he did not expect: The child was hidden under the bed, wrapped in his blanket, eyes open, even if there was serious dark circles around them, and clutching his flashlight firmly. He seemed to force himself not to sleep and was monumentally scared.

In front of this, pretty pathetic, show,Steven hesitated a moment ... before showing a horribly cruel smirk.

'Oooh I did right in the end.' Thought mischievously geek. 'My revenge is perfect.'

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Last night in the streets of Konoha_

Rhiannon and Steven had eaten their tempuras in silence. When they left the restaurant, Ria, who paid the bill with money borrowed from Tsunade, the geek proposed to his friend to accompany him to meet Naruto. She hesitated a moment, not knowing what to do with the future hero. But the young man reassured her, explaining that he had been in the same situation and with all that happened, she should not really worry, especially if they were careful.

Convinced, the black hooded redhead eventually follow Steven in Konoha's streets. On the way, the geek wanted to ask one more thing to the redhead. It was about him and that famous "Pandora", Professor Mitchell's invention. Steven didn't really want to talk about that right now, especially after his discussion about his "Images-Visions," which had been a rather odd subject of debate for them both. But the young man didn't feel able to think about something else as long as he didn't asked that question. He called out to his friend, without stopping to move forward.

"Uh ... Ria?"

"Yeah Steven?"

"I was wondering ... about what you told me right now ..."

The girl did not seem too bothered by the curiosity of the geek. She also wanted to talk about something else, but she understood that he wanted to know as much as her. In fact, she was rather reassured that he tries to do that. She thus felt less alone in this world that was not her own.

Steven finished his question, looking a little embarrassed.

"Do you think that... Pandora ... could have done something to me?"

Rhiannon thought about what he was referring to.

"You want to know if it is that box that caused your visions ..."

Steven seemed quite embarrassed answering.

"Yeah ... And also how."

The girl in black sweatshirt sighed. She was not very satisfied with the only answer she could give him.

"Honestly ... I don't know."

Steven listened attentively.

"As I said, the only reference the teacher had to know what happens to living beings that travel without being in contact with the Pandora is a mouse that was no longer with him after using the Pandora. She could have died. But looking at what happened to you, it might simply have been transported somewhere without seeing it again. Nothing really surprising for such a small animal. Personally, I think that's what happened to you and you've been very lucky to have been transported to Konoha rather than elsewhere. But about if the mouse had visions like you ... I don't know. Maybe. Who knows? It could very well have happened to anyone. "

The young man sighed deeply. The English girl did not understand his disappointment. She believed that he asked this to make her tell him something reassuring that would not make him feel like someone really bizarre.

Rhiannon had not understood him at all.

'What did you thought?' Steven asked inwardly. 'That you were a Jedi-like amazing guy?'

The two teenagers then walked again in silence, the redhead a little confused facing the disillusioned Gamer. But their astonishment stopped when they found a familiar face with purple hair that was eating a box of Dangos.

"Hey Rai-San!" she said enthusiastic.

The geek was surprised to find the ninja psychopath.

"Oh ... Konbanwa Anko-san."

"Not dead yet?" She asked with a smile.

Steven, more delighted that he expected to see her again, replied jokingly.

"Ooooh. You were worried about me?"

"Nope." She answered directly. "I'm just surprised that Tsunade-Sama's fist did not make you fell into coma because of your mollusk-like personal fitness."

"This is not nice ..." Steven growled.

Ria intervened, noting.

"However, it's true that you didn't seemed well when we got you to the infirmary."

"The famous fist which she was talking about should be an obvious cause right?" remarked the gamer.

The redhead with wooden beads explained more clearly.

"I know, but that justifies only your nose bleeding and bruise. She didn't strike you very hard. When you lost conscious and ..."

She hesitated a moment, remembering their discussion about the famous vision that his friend claimed to have when he fainted. She continued, carefully not mentioning that famous picture of Scottish person doing archery.

"And ... we brought you, you were barely breathing and I even think you were a little pale. Tsunade examined you, but she discovered no reason to worry. She simply put a real bandage on your wound at the arm. "

Steven then put his hand on the bandage that covered the bite that Kamu did to him, the dog Eiko.

"She said you will be ok in a few weeks." Informed Anko.

"Good." Said calmly the English boy. "I hate the idea that this pooch looking like a Resident Evil's monster could leave an indelible mark on me."

Anko growled, pointing him with a sharp stick to Dangos.

"If you don't stop with your references that no one ever understand, it is me who will do it... And I remind you that my mission is over, so nothing prevents me to make you bite the dust."

Refusing to give her the impression that she was intimidating him, although he was aware that she could very well carry out her threat, the young metalhead with wolves on the garment raised his eyes, disrespectfully saying.

"Yeah yeah yeah ... Ria, I present you..."

"Don't worry, we know each other." She interrupted. "She helped me carry you to the infirmary."

"Really?" Wondered the geek glancing at Anko, who seemed a bit annoyed.

The English girl said.

"Besides, she was the first to have examined you. She literally ran to see how you were."

Anko then seemed to pout, growling, while Steven looked a little surprised.

"Do not imagine things!" Growled the kunoichi.

"What do you want me to imagine?" Steven asked sincerely, destabilizing the kunoichi. "Your mission was to keep me alive, it's normal that you wanted to be sure I was."

"Exactly!" Anko said. "You're a Baka but you're not stupid."

"It's contradictory what you say there." Steven pointed.

"I know that, Baka."

"So try to be clearer. Am I a Baka or Am I not stupid?"

Anko sighed, as Rhiannon, before saying.

"You're not stupid AND a Baka."

Steven really seemed to not understand. He had a bored face and declared.

"Before, I was playing Myst when I wanted to have migraine, now I just need to talk to you for a few seconds it seems."

The kunoichi became furious and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"You really want me to exterminate you?"

The gamer and Anko then began to argue in the middle of the street. The ninja yelled at him, uttering threats and insults, while Steven seemed annoyed without letting her get on his way, using one or two other incomprehensible references, which made Anko tried to strangle him. Steven not admitting he had already lost in any possible fight with her.

Rhiannon was looking at this power struggle with a frightened face. Not really because of the strange show before her but because she began to think.

'Am I dreaming or are they perfect for eachother?'

After several minutes, the Girl with beaded braid separated Anko and Steven declaring that they were ridiculous to fight without reasons.

So they had stopped, saying one last "Baka" and "Crazy psycho". After that, the kunoichi walked away saying good night to the redhead, but not Steven. The two foreigners departed towards Naruto's apartment, unaware that the ninja with purple hairs looked one last time at them.

Finally there, the little blond boy welcomed Steven quite loudly. But he was obviously very happy to see him. The Sandaime had told him he could not stay with them in the infirmary because he needed some calm, which was actually a pretext to keep the little blond away while they were talking with the foreigners and Tsunade.

Steven presented Ria to the future hero. She was a little surprised by the meeting. She had read most of the Naruto's volume during the last months, she knew what he would be like, but she still seemed intrigued discovering this blond child who wore protective glasses on his forehead and a dark green shirt. He looked too innocent and friendly to be a future warrior. But the more she was looking at him, the more she was discovering in him the traits she had noticed in the manga's character. Speaking a little with him and seeing him competing nicely, but with energy, with Steven still in his  
couldn't-give-a-damn mode, she finally relaxed and talk to him like an ordinary child.

So they discussed a moment while Naruto was eating instant ramen, including Steven staying as far as possible from it.

Having said in the street what they could and could not tell to Naruto, Rhiannon managed without much problem to talk with the little hero without compromising their true origin, which became the best-kept secret of Konoha now. And she suspected, like Steven, that an ANBU was in a corner outside to be sure they do not say too much. And even if the idea of having a sword of Damocles over the head their head annoyed them, they had anyway not the intention to reveal everything to Naruto. They had probably already changed his life and now had to limit the damage.

The trio spent the evening talking, learning more about ninjas and making fun of Steven. The future hero even spoke about Sasuke Uchiha, which puzzled the foreigners. Ria knew who he was and what role, more or less, he would have in Naruto's life. Steven only knew him by the billions of photos and images he had seen on the internet. He knew nothing except that he was the rival of the little hero and that women seemed to have made a real religion for his glory.

'I hope he will not be big-headed ...' Thought the geek wearily.

After that, the child retailed his first months at school, where he was not treated better than usual. This saddened a little Ria, but the young girl in black sweatshirt thought that it would not last forever, having read a little the manga in England, to get an idea of what awaited her, she thought it was just a bad moment for him. Steven, however, did not see it that way. As when they met on the park bench, he did not like that people act like that with the child. He then said to the child, in a tone that so intrigued the person concerned that the spectator.

"Naruto ... The next time you go to the academy, I'll go with you."

At first surprised, the child then opened his eyes with pure joy, while Steven's compatriot looked at him like he was crazy.

"Really?" Asked the little blonde with a smile.

"Yes." Confirmed the geek. "So some of those who look down on you will shut up."

The child added.

"And you scare them when I call you?"

"What do you think I am? An FF7 invocation?" Asked the geek, a little bored. "You have to learn to defend yourself alone. If you really need help or to talk, I'm here, but I will not settle your problems for you."

Naruto looked a little lost, but not as much as Rhiannon.

"How do you think Seiya, Natsu or Son Goku became so badass heroes? They had great allies, but they did not constantly called them. This is because they were still trying first to settle their problems themselves. Was I clear? "

There was no malice in Steven's words. Only an almost brotherly kindness and the desire to know whether the child had correctly interpreted his advice.

Naruto seemed to think for a moment. Then he smiled and nodded to the English metalhead, confirming that the message was well understood. But all that worried Ria. She intended to be as unobtrusive as possible in the Naruto universe after all this Sokora madness and their discussion with the Sandaime. But she realized that Steven, at the opposite, didn't really intended to do the same, or rather he seemed to openly not caring at all about the possible consequences of his actions on this world now. She would have reprimanded him right now, by strangling him as Anko did earlier, but she understood why he said all this. And she had to admit that it was pretty well said, even admirable.

'I will punish him tomorrow.' She thought.

The little blond then seemed to remember something. He left the table, under the puzzled looks of his guests, and went to his room saying.

"I almost forgot Rai-san ..."

Ria didn't understand, his friend neither. But a little spark in his eyes seemed to indicate that he had an idea, and that it made him very happy.

The sound of wood that we move was heard then the one of a heavy object dragged to the ground, tinged by the effort of the child sounds.

When Naruto returned to his living room, he was dragging behind him a large mass of tissue in military camouflage pattern. The small boy paused, sighed then smiled.

"I kept it hidden from you, as promised!" He boasts. "Nobody could find it in my secret hiding place."

Before the blond could see it, or the informations could connect in Ria's brain, the geek leaped over the table and fly to the child, waterfalls of tears escaping from his eyes ridiculously beaming with happiness, screaming.

"MY BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG!"

Naruto managed to save his life from the meteor with a strand thanks to a lifesaving reflex that made him jump to the side.

What the girl with wood beads and the little blond had in front of them staggered them as it was both ridiculous and appalling.

Steven shook his big military bag and stroked it as a Dakimakura with the image of Erza Scarlet, happy tears flowing on the floor. It was like he had just found his reason to live ... It was not completely wrong in his head.

Naruto and Ria froze for a moment, seeing him almost losing all dignity, exclaiming his relief and passion for his bag.

"Oh my dear bag! My only reason to live!" Declaimed the boy with brown hair and strand. "I finally found you! Without you, I was like a Mage without Mana, a Shaman without Furyoku, a Jedi without the Force, Luffy without meat ... Don't leave me again! I feel like I could keep you in my arms all the day in bed without moving to kiss you all over ..."

His delirium was interrupted by a flying fist of the redhead on his head.

He lamented a while, under the slightly scared gaze of Naruto, before rising bellowing.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU? YOU'RE ACTING LIKE NAMI OR WHAT?!"

She replied with the same tone.

"It is preventive! A little more and it would have been like when I see one of these Yaoi my little sister read secretly! I would have puke... simply."

"Ria-san ..." asked Naruto. "Why do you have a nosebleed and are a little red?"

"WHAT?! Not at all!"

Steven bellowed.

"What's that cliché of a Tsundere you are?"

A big fight then ensued between Steven and the redhead, full of wrestling moves and insults in English in a cloud of dust. The boy, in shock, could have tried to stop them, at his own risk, but he had to recognize, deep down, he was amused. His little apartment had never been so lively.

So he let them stop alone, exhausted. Ria eventually get away, explaining that she had to return to the hotel where Tsunade and Shizune (more Tonton) were, her training was actually starting tomorrow. Steven and Naruto greeted her, telling she could come back whenever she want. She went cheerfully.

When the two young men were alone at last. Steven smiled and had an almost perverse face returning to his beloved bag. He quickly opened it and looked inside with bright eyes, a silly smile and a trickle of drool on his lips.

"Oooh ..." He said with a transcendent voice. "It only miss the Zelda's chest opening sound."

Everything was there. Nothing seemed different.

'That's a relief.' He mused. 'I would have a heart attack if something had disappeared, like in my Amnesia's game.'

The Geek then took his beloved Playstation Vita. He had missed it so much.

"Oh my pretty little game console ..." he cooed. "Did I missed you?"

"You're acting strangely Rai-san." Naruto said, a little distressed. "Your screens are cool but this is not a reason to drool over."

Steven pull himself together. He was not so surprised that Naruto speaks so quietly of his high-tech things. He had learned what the real technology level of this world was. The screens wasn't so common, his computers and other stuffs had at least fifty years of advance over the rest of the world's machines, but there was more technology that was familiar to him than he thought.

An important question then came to his mind. He asked to the child with some concern.

"Naruto ... You did not touch my stuffs is it not?"

The little hero seemed taken aback and embarrassed, which greatly alarmed the geek, as a cold wind over his heart.

"Well actually ..." the blond Hesitated. "I was curious so I tried that thing you're holding in your hands. But I swear that's all I did. I didn't break anything."

Steven had a deep sigh of relief. So he explained gently.

"It's okay then. But now ask me when you want to use my stuffs. You have no right to bring them to the academy. Okay?"

It was then Naruto who reassured. He nodded to show that he understood. Steven caressed his head before the child yawn and go to bed saying.

"I'm tired. What about you Rai-san?"

"I am coming." Replied the geek. "Just a moment, I must pack my bag."

But in fact he wanted to spend a minute with his beloved console. He spent a moment to navigate in the settings just for the pleasure to see English words again. Then he seemed a bit puzzled by discovering a strange fact: the empty space in the console was strangely high. Yet he was certain to have played enough games to make him need to do an atrocious sacrifice every time he had a new game.

He searched into the game console for a moment and began to widen his eyes more and more.

"Uh ... Naruto?" Asked the geek, dreading what he would say. "Just to be sure ... When you touched my console, what did you do exactly?"

He heard Naruto thinking. Then the blond explained what he remembered. And he confirmed what Steven had feared. Naruto had gone in "Format", then "Restore PS vita System."

The young Englishman seemed to freeze like a statue in a perfect state of balance between panic, rage, sadness and madness. Slowly he felt as if he could not even imagine what he heard.

'He ... deleted ... All my game saves ... ... ... He deleted ALL my game saves ... ..."

From his room, where Naruto saw Steven's back, the child asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Rai-san? Something wrong?"

Steven stood still.

Then he turned a very smiling head towards Naruto, perfectly serene.

"Don't worry. I'll explain at another time."

Then the teenager made a proposal that pleasantly surprised the little blond.

"Hey! Do you want to hear a story?"

The child was unbelievably delighted. He had always wanted that that someone tell him a story before going to sleep.

Steven, strangely, had a sense of déjà vu. Yet he did not remember having done something like this before. He left that aside and concentrated on the present moment.

The future hero had jumped on the bed and get under the duvet, impatient in a quite lovely manner.

Steven turned off almost all the lights in the apartment, took a chair to sit next to the child, still with a strangely satisfied smile, almost disturbing. He seemed already excited about what he would do.

But Naruto was not aware of it, he was too happy.

Steven sat beside him, leaned slowly toward the innocent child and asked, with a terrifying gentleness.

"Tell me little boy ... Have you ever heard of Freddy Krueger?"

_End of Flashback_

* * *

Steven took a moment to contemplate his diabolical work. Naruto was obviously scared and had not slept a single second. He had visibly traumatized Naruto for a long time, convinced that he would recover in a week or two.

But meanwhile, he savored his revenge.

Steven opened his bag and was able to finally change his tee-shirt. He put his shirt with wolves in a corner and took another one with a furious silver dragon, carrying a sword, sitting on a mountain of skull.

Then he went back to the bed, bent down to see Naruto, and then called him with a smile, and a perky voice.

"Naruto ..."

The trembling child turned his head to face him, completely exhausted.

The Gamer then declared, always jovial.

"Remember that day. You just learned what happens when someone really makes me angry."

The child froze, not understanding. Steven stood up, grabbed his Playstation Vita and went for a walk in the sun before landing in the park to play quietly. He had many hours of Monster Hunter to play again.

* * *

_Three days later_

_Around Midnight_

A ninja with short hairs wearing black clothes was in the forest outside the village. He jumped from tree to tree, taking care not to be followed.

He finally came to the place of the appointment: The Valley of the End. The legendary place where Uchiha Madara confronted Hashirama Senju.

The warrior landed on the head of the giant statue of Madara.

He looked cautiously around him to make sure there was nothing suspicious awaiting. Everything seemed clear.

He took in his pocket the secret message he had received and read it again.

'Shisui, I think the clan know what we are doing. It is necessary that we speak. Come to the valley of the end tonight. Be there at midnight on the Madara statue. I will be on the Senju one. If I'm not there ten minutes after midnight, go see the Sandaime.

Uchiha Itachi '.

Shisui Uchiha was on time. He had feared that all this was a trap, but the place of rendezvous seemed safe. From where he was, any danger would be visible from afar. Although, if it was not Itachi who come, it would have meant that someone was aware they were spying the clan for the Hokage. He would have, at its own risk, discovered who it was.

It was midnight. He began to count the seconds in his head, ready to go in ten minutes if necessary. He counted in his head.

'One ...'

But the poor guy did not go further.

At the precise moment when he began to count, a whistle was heard in the night. Then a sharp pain pierced his heart. But he didn't had time to understand what happened.

A trickle of blood flowed from a hole in his heart.

His vision blurred in an instant.

And in the end, his body collapsed on the stone.

Shisui Uchiha was dead.

Blood only had time to spread on the ground that a person came near the body of the ninja, a scalpel in one hand, a box in the other.

And in the distance, a man in a checked shirt, his body as straight and stiff as a tree, was present during this, with a look between rage and terror.

* * *

Thank you for everything ^^

And welcome to my new followers

Don't forget that a little review is always welcome ^^

One more chapter then I translate The Queen, the geek and the princess ;-)

List of references:

Starcraft, How to train your dragon, Slenderman, Star Wars, Resident Evil, Brave, Myst, Final Fantasy 7, Saint Seiya, Fairy Tail, Dragon Ball, (again) Fairy Tail, Shaman King, Star Wars, One Piece, (again) One Piece, Zelda, Amnesia the Dark Descent, Nightmare on elm Street, Monster Hunter


	14. Chapter 14

Hello everybody ^^

One of the moment of this chapter will look a bit similar to another one from "The Queen, the Geek and the Princess ", for those who read this part of the adventure, but if I removed this part, it would have been incoherent. You will understand the problem, I'm sure. In addition you will learn new things then it is fine ;-)

I had an idea: I'll put the music mentioned here rather than at the bottom, so you can prepare them ;-)

Then let's go.

List of music:

_Bring me to Life_ \- Evanescence

_Runaway_ \- Hail the Villain

* * *

Chapter 14

Four days had passed since the Inuzuka case, three since Steven had traumatized the little Naruto, and everything seemed perfectly calm for a particularly relaxed Metalhead.

With such a beautiful sunny day, Steven could not stay locked up at home. So he quietly laid in the grass of the park to play with his 3DS a new Pokémon game, just to relax a bit between a Rathalos hunt and a Zelda's dungeon.

He didn't saw the time pass since this morning, even when a lazy little boy joined him, just to laze with another specialist. Only the battery indicated that the console was going to be empty. He therefore saved his game, after a fight quickly finished with his Nidoking and Charizard, and then turned off the console. He then took his headphones from his pocket and listened to his music using the random function, being too lazy to choose one.

So he closed his eyes, his head on his hands, listening to the melodious rhythm of Evanescence.

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors ...?_

_Leading you down into my core ... where I've Become so numb_

Without really realizing it, Steven began to whisper the words.

_Without a soul ... My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

He hummed a little louder.

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can not wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

The boy began to move a little his head and one foot in rhythm.

_(Wake me up)_

_Bid my blood to run_

_(I can not wake up)_

_Before I come undone_

_(Save me)_

_Save me from the nothing I've Become_

Finally, he stopped when he received a little kick in the shoulder.

Steven withdrew a headphone and turned his head toward the little boy who interrupted his nap.

"What?" He asked.

The child with black hair said.

"You were singing."

The English gamer finally realized it, which intrigued him. He then replied without energy.

"So what?"

"I can't rest."

"Rest for what? You did absolutely nothing today."

"It doesn't matter."

Focused as he was on his games, the teenager had to recognize that he had almost forgotten his lazy new partner. He then explained.

"Why don't you move if I bother you."

"... Mendokuse." (Troublesome)

Steven, who fully understood what it was to want to be quiet but having an annoying neighbor, finally calm down, sigh a big shot and honestly said, a little bored.

"Well, excuse me. I stop now. Okay Shikamaru?"

The child with the pineapple hairs, which was almost the same age as Naruto, indicated that it was okay for him. However, he questioned the strange teen.

"Reassure me, you do not do this often?"

"What? Singing? Tsk ... Don't worry. I never do it normally."

"Normally?"

Steven hesitated. He was not sure if he could talk about this with a kid he had just met. It might seems weird. However, it was probably nothing big. And he already seemed weird.

The geek looked at the sky and explained to the little ninja.

"Before coming here, I never sang, even a little to pass the time. This is also why I've never tested Guitar Hero with the microphone. But since I am in Konoha, I sometimes want to sing a little when I listen to my music. Just a little bit and not always. "

Based on the fact that Steven had hummed in his own language, Shikamaru suggested.

"Perhaps you are homesick."

The young boy with a Vessalius strand turned a little his head at the mini-Nara. Homesick? He wondered if it was possible. Aside from an astronomical list of games, Anime and game he could not see, he had to admit he was not in a hurry to return to London. However, England and his room were some familiar places, more secure, and pretending that, after almost losing his life because of Eiko and his mutt, he had not wished to go back would be a lie.

Even if this desire had passed with the pain of his injury, now healed, he had to admit that what Shikamaru said made sense. It was more than six months that he was here after all.

The gamer therefore accepted "homesick" as a response to his new desire to sing. It was the only answer for him, because it was the only one logical he had in mind.

"You're probably right ..." he huffed, a little dejected.

The teenager, thoughtful, touched his three pendants of the day: the Metallica logo, a mini reproduction of Frostmourne and one of his dear silver pentacles, one with emerald-green stones this time. He rarely took Frostmourne from his pendant box, but today he was wearing his Diablo 3 Reapers of Soul's black T-shirt, one of his favorite, it was the perfect moment.

And while he was daydreaming listening to Bring Me to Life, he remembered how he met the famous Shikamaru, which, in many ways, was a little like himself.

_Got to open my eyes to everything_

_Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul_

_Do not let me die here_

_There must be something more_

_Bring me to life_

* * *

_Flashback_

_Three days ago_

The streets of Konoha were very quiet. Because the Inuzuka case especially interested ninjas, the civilians continued to mind their own business. Everything was fine for everybody.

At least until they discover a duo of foreigners running everywhere screaming, one for mercy, the other to refuse.

"MERCY RIA!" Steven begged.

"NEVER!" Replied the redhead with beads. "Come back here that I massacre you!"

"I don't want you to kill me!"

"You thought I was going to do what learning that you traumatized Naruto forever, you psychopath?! Giving you a medal?"

"He deleted my game saves!"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN YOU STUPID NERD!"

Indeed, after exiting the little blonde's apartment, Steven ran into Ria who intended, originally, to speak with him to remember what they could and could not tell to the future hero.

But seeing the delighted face of his companion, who made her curious, the new disciple of Tsunade asked him what happened and, oddly pleased with himself, the teenager with little chains told her his Freddy Kruger's party with the little ninja.

Literally shocked, Rihannon did not react immediately, surprised by the pride that seemed to show Steven.

Then the gamer seemed to sense a deadly and chilling aura that made him wonder if Anko was here. What a surprise when he discovered that it was coming from the girl in black sweatshirt.

Surprised at first, the English metalhead was soon terrified, then, by pure survival instinct, ran through the streets of Konoha shouting.

It was ten minutes that the two teenagers were chasing each other, to the park, running along the bushes and other trees.

"I'm begging you!" Steven implored. "I'm sorry!"

"It's not to me that you must apologize! I am the executioner and I'm going to punish you! You can take my word for it!"

"BY ANDRASTE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

The young man had just passed the ten-minutes limit his physical condition, with adrenaline, could bear. He had to go away or let her beat him to death.

Fortunately, a little further through, there was a corner. Steven sprinted suddenly, left Ria's field of view behind a tree, and then, when she passed the corner, her prey was gone.

But she was not stupid. She knew that he had hidden in the bushes. So she entered into the massive plant, always at full speed, but what she found among the trees almost made her fall as she had to stop suddenly.

Lying on the ground, hands under his head, was a little boy with black hairs like a pineapple. She made sure to not lose balance, after almost stepping on him, and she realized who it was. She recognized the famous Shikamaru Nara, thanks also to the symbol of his family on his gray T-shirt, one of the most famous ninjas of the Naruto universe. She had learned the main symbols and names of the series when she was still working for Mitchell.

Unlike Steven, Rihannon preferred to not speak too much with the other characters, except if it was necessary. Then she just, quickly, asked to the child.

"Sumimasen (excuse me) ... Did you have seen a strange guy running here?"

The mini Shikamaru, who obviously was afraid of being flatten while he was napping peacefully, hesitated a moment before indicating a direction.

Ria thanked him before resuming her mad dash in the name of children's justice.

The child remained for a moment quite disturbed, before looking in the direction opposite to the one he had just indicated. A head with a strand came out of a bush. The Man with pendants came out, sighing in relief, then sat declaring.

"Phew ... thank you little boy."

"Uh ... You're welcome..." Replied the young Nara reluctantly. "But who are you?"

Steven, who also recognized the future tactician ninja, arrived quickly, which surprised Shikamaru. His father spoke about him last night, especially his reasoning during the Inuzuka trial. It intrigued Steven to have drawn so much attentions. But it was not so surprising.

"Who was that girl?" Questioned the mini tactician.

"Just a friend who wants to kill me because I did a mistake." Steven replied.

"She seems troublesome."

"I agree. I'll have to redo Slender's game to train if all the mad person in the area start to target me..."

But before Shikamaru could ask him what he meant, Steven announced.

"Now if you excuse me, I will be pleased to talk with you after that I have reload my stamina."

The young metalhead then collapsed, exhausted, on the grass, ready to sleep with no resistance.

_He saw a boy with a blue arrow on the head manipulating elements._

He awoke several hours later near Shikamaru who, to the astonishment of the geek with chains, remained napping beside him. The boy was known to have an IQ bigger than the average child of his age. So, the intelligence Steven shown, according to Shikamaru's father, had fueled his curiosity.

Steven told him, at the request of the child, how he had deduced that Gaku Inuzuka was the culprit. But in the end, they spent more time complaining about people who didn't want to leave them napping in peace, discovering little by little they had many things in common, especially when it was about avoiding efforts.

When the Londoner clearly explained to the Nara kid why he almost were slaughtered, Shikamaru had to confess that he also thought he had exaggerated by frightening a child for something he could redo without problems.

Now that the young man with a dragon tee-shirt rested and calmed down, he began to think that he was perhaps wrong. Without being ashamed, he thought apologies were necessary.

When Naruto went home that night, he sincerely apologized to the little blond and offered him to be forgiven in exchange of showing him his laptop. The object, which puzzled the little blond by its high technology, was not enough to make him curious. The future hero did not understood how Steven could hope to be forgiven with such a weird thing.

But that was before that the geek connected one of his external hard drives and makes him discover a new world: The world of Son Goku and his friends.

After two hours of Anime, and eyes full of stars, Naruto easily forgave the strange teenager. The next days, Steven spent his time running away from Ria and playing on his portable consoles in the park, where Shikamaru joined him to be quiet and discuss from time to time.

The young metalhead even talked about Naruto to him.

_End of flashback_

* * *

Steven was not very comfortable. All this uncertainty about Mitchell was bothering him. Playing prevented him to think about it for a long time, since he was doing this almost constantly, but when he stopped, he came back to this horrible discomfort. He thought with frustration.

'What a mess ... At least in the manga they explain things, or in RPGs ... I would like to play some Final Fantasy by the way. But now, here I am, completely stuck with no way to get answers. '

The Geek felt quite depressed at the time.

Eager to clear his head, he passed the music of Evanescence by pressing again, without looking, the Shuffle function of the player.

But the big chaotic battery he heard made him open his eyes wide and go from depression to anxiety. The guitar riffs that followed were for him like the crackling of dangers from a Silent Hill's radio.

_Welcome to the end of Everything That haunts me_

_Somehow I pretend All was Meant to Be_

Steven had immediately recognized the song. The last one in the world he wanted to hear.

_I am not the saint here, never the good son_

_Hell HAS taken over and I know_

Steven seemed on the verge of panic.

_When I say go...run away, run away  
When I say go...run away, run away  
When I say go...run away, run away  
When I say go...run away, run away, run away  
_

The metalhead had cold sweats and goose bumps. He spoke with anguish.

"Oh nooo ..."

"What?" Asked Shikamaru.

"I'm listening to _Runaway_ from Hail the Villain."

The mini Nara obviously didn't understood what he meant. But he had taught from day one, when the gamer had shown him his Playstation Vita, that it was better to not try to understand the technologies that Steven had and continue the conversation.

"So what?" Asked the child. "Is it a problem?"

"Absolutely." Confirmed the geek with chains, the voice full of anxiety. "Every time I have this song by random selection, it means that something horrible will happen."

"Like what?"

"The last time I heard it there's been a surprise exam on which I had the worst possible result. And the E3 night I had this song before a teacher asked me some help and I got stuck all the night in the storehouse, missing the conferences. And I still have a long list of events like this. "

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, more lost.

"Mendokuse ..." he sighed.

"You cannot imagine how much."

"I was talking about you. We really understand nothing when you speak."

But before that the metalhead could have objected. A voice came from afar.

"Rai-Saaan"

Steven recognized the perky voice of Naruto. He set down and looked in the direction from which the call came. He was very surprised and worried to see the future heroe approaching with another little boy he didn't recognized. This new head seemed cute. But he was visibly demoralized and even sad.

The two children approached the geek, who had a very bad feeling oddly. Yet he should have been delighted to see Naruto with another child of his age. When they stood before him, Naruto explained, smiling.

"Well, there you are. We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Really?" Steven asked, a little fearful.

"Yeah." The blond replied. "I present you Sasuke. We met not a long time ago."

The brain of the English seemed to pause for a moment, not sure he understood what Naruto had just said. Then, after a moment, he thought with a visible dismay.

'I can't believe it! He is Sasuke?! The super depressed guy all fangirls are screaming to! '

The two children, a little puzzled by the silence of the geek, exchanged a bewildered look before the little blond add.

"Actually Sasuke came to see me because he has something important to ask you."

Steven then noticed that the famous Uchiha had a folded paper in his hand. The Geek tensed even more and thought.

'A paper? An important thing? Runaway? '

The calculation was quickly made for Steven who rose in a phenomenal sprint that raised a big cloud of dust.

"I FORBID YOU TO APPROACH ME!" He bellowed fleeing.

Bewildered, the three children did not react immediately.

After a time not understanding what happened, Naruto and Sasuke began to pursue Steven.

Shikamaru, however, merely lengthen saying.

"Phew ... Mendokuse."

The two children ran after Steven energetically, but none noticed him when they passed under the tree where he was hiding.

The geek, sitting on a branch, finally began to relax.

"Whew! I escaped them." He sighed. "All that time on Assassin's Creed 3 was useful after all. Thank you Connor."

But the monotone voice of a man uttered.

"You should listen to what they have to say."

Anguished by this unknown voice, Steven's eyes widened and looked slowly to the branch above him. He started discovering the man in checked shirt that guided him during the Inuzuka case. He would have recognized among a thousand others that outfit and friendly face, despite the lack of smile and his cold posture.

"You?!" He screamed. "What do you want? And you can talk?"

"Of course I can talk. And that does not make me happy but I need your help."

"If you start insulting me it's not the right way."

"And if I tell you that the life of Naruto is again in danger?"

There, the young with pendants worried.

"What are you talking about? And who are you finally?"

"It does not matter."

"For me it completely does. No way that I let someone deceive me like Solid Snake."

The stranger expressed absolutely no emotion, leaving no way to know if he knew or not what Steven was talking about.

The man in checked shirt eventually explained.

"I'm the one who observes and ensures that everything here is as it should be. I make sure that everyone follows his destiny and that the Key-Points accomplishes."

"Uh ... If it's a riddle, you are very far from Golum's level. Because it means nothing."

Without interrupting or wince, the strange man revealed.

"I am the Narrator of this world."

Steven raised his eyebrows, unable to believe what he just heard.

"You are ... wait a minute ..." hesitated the geek. "I remember where I've already saw you. It was in an interview in a magazine. You are Kishimoto! The creator of the manga Naruto!"

The Narrator reasoned, always with a cold calm.

"It is possible that I look like him. We, Narrators, we take the closest form of the one who gave birth to our story. But I'm not him in person."

"Because there are others like you?"

"One for each world. We cannot communicate with each other but, strangely, we are aware that we are not alone."

"But ... What are this 'Key-Points'?"

"This universe was born because of a story. A story based on a series of events related to the evolution of their characters. These are the events that are called Key-Points. If they do not happen, this world will lose its reason to exist, which is a precise story. And if that happens, it will disintegrate. It will return to the chaotic ocean from which it came. "

Steven did not know how to react. It was so much very amazing things simultaneously. But, to his own amazement, he accepted all this rather easily.

'Apparently, Planescape Torment and Bioshock Infinite have accustomed me to the bizarre and complicated stories ...' He Deducted.

The Narrator continued.

"My role is to make sure that even if something happens, the Key-Points will happen. After that, this universe will exist without me, freely."

"And ... How do you make sure it happen?"

"I'm omniscient. I know everything happening constantly in this universe. I can see everything, be everywhere and remain invisible to people. But I also have the ability to act discreetly. I can do various things that can make the difference, to lock a door or cause a storm. My only limit, but not least, is that it must seems like pure luck or coincidence, or at least it mustn't be illogical. "

That said, an element intrigued the young man with chains.

"But this story has already changed, is it not? Yet everything seems okay."

The Narrator then declared, with a voice that seemed much heavier.

"It's quite the opposite. This story is on the verge of disappearing, and everything in it at the same time."

Steven's heart began to beat louder.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"The Sokora and your teacher completely messed up this adventure. I tried everything that I could to stop them but I could do nothing at my level. They have too much power and determination. One of the Key Points could never happen now. "

Steven was on the defensive now. He thought he could figure out what he was going to ask. With mistrust, the geek told to the Kishimoto Clone.

"What do you want from me? You should talk about it with the characters themselves. The Sandaime knows that this world was born from a fiction, as one of Sanin. Did you spoke to the Sokora? And Mitchell? "

"I mustn't be seen by the characters of the story. This would endanger the Key Points by disturbing their life. This world is already very unstable. An appearance from me to them would brought too many questions."

Steven could understand that. He was beginning to understand how this Narrator and Key Points principles were working. When this man in checked shirt appeared to him, it had quite troubled him and he knew he would never forget it. So if it was Naruto or another ninja, the consequences would be unforeseeable, or even catastrophic.

"I tried to make an exception with Takeshi Sokora ..." continued the narrator. "But he refused to listen to me. He thinks I'm just a trick to prevent him from fulfilling his great project. And your professor fully supports Takeshi, and he believe that I lie. He claims that what I say does not make sense and that I'm trying to manipulate him. "

English then asked again, more insistently.

"What do you want from me?"

"That you take Sasuke's message, read it and agree to help him."

"Is that all? I imagine this will get me into troubles."

"Obviously."

"At least you are a direct person. But it would be easier if you tell me everything now, and so the problem will be resolved soon."

"Not exactly. If you handle this too quickly, knowing exactly who did what and what to do, they will ask you questions about how you could have so much informations. It would be illogical for you to know so many things. "

The metalhead huffed with frustration.

"So you want me to go by myself into a mountain of troubles, which will no doubt give me a bigger headache than a Professor Layton's game, knowing nothing except that if I don't do it we'll all die and I have no Ocarina of time to return to the past. Is that right? "

"Precisely."

"... It is not with such adventure's beginning that we will surpass FF6 but I guess I have no choice."

The Narrator answered with the same monotone voice.

"Sure you have. You have the choice between doing this or die with this world."

"And he takes everything literally ..." sighed the geek.

The clone of Masashi Kishimoto then explained.

"If you still do not believe me, go to the Shamisen Bar. There, you will see a man with tattoos around the eyes. Tell to your friend Rihannon you saw this man and you will be convinced."

Steven raised his eyebrows, very incredulous.

"And to help you ..." He added. "You should ask for help to Mitarashi Anko."

"You have the right to tell me that?" Wondered the English.

"She saved your life. The fact that you trust her is not illogical."

It was at this time that the Gamer heard a voice hailing.

"RAI-SAN!"

Steven looked down and saw Naruto and Sasuke. The gamer with pendants cast a glance over him but, as he expected, the strange guy in checked shirt was gone.

The two children looked on, each in his own way, with a lot of annoyance.

"We have looked for you everywhere AGAIN!" Naruto got mad. "What's your problem?"

Steven thought a moment everything that the alleged narrator just said. If all this was true, and he was ready to accept a lot of things now, that meant that they were all in danger, and helping this mini-Uchiha was the only way to save them.

He was not sure to believe it. Even fewer WANT to believe it. To think that the world would disappear into nothingness he failed something was too heavy to bear.

The teenager just got down of his perch and explained to Naruto.

"I will one day explain the principle of _Runaway_ to you little boy. So, what do you want?"

Too happy to have finally found him, Sasuke gave his paper to Steven declaring.

"My brother asked me to give it to you. But to talk about it to anyone."

Steven nearly loose control. Even a layman like him knew who was the brother of Sasuke: Itachi Uchiha, one of the most powerful ninjas of this manga, the second person who make fangirls scream the most. But it was mostly the one who had, or would, kill the entire Uchiha clan. What such a person would like to ask him?

The geek with a Reaper of Souls tee-shirt asked why he shouldn't talk about it.

"You do not know?" Wondered the little blonde. "He was arrested for murder this morning, everybody's talking about that."

Steven mind remained locked for a moment. Then thought with annoyance.

'Arrested? Him? For murder? Did he already killed the clan? No, this is not possible, even I would have heard about that. And I don't think he was arrested in the manga. '

Still astonished to not be aware of the great Itachi's incarceration. But his surprise disappeared when he remembered that he had spent the last days far from anyone. But something like that ... He should have walk in town a moment.

The boy then asked Sasuke.

"Who's dead?"

The raven-haired child seemed sad.

"It's a member of my family ..." he said. "Shisui Uchiha."

Steven therefore understood why it did not affected him as much as if it had been his entire clan.

He finally unrolled the message, revealing a rather large paper covered with a very small writing. He read it in his head.

_Rai-San_

_I know you do not know me, but I know you. I was Fox. The ANBU present when you cleared Hasaki Akahiko. And someone told me how you put Inuzuka Gaku in jail. I was locked up for a murder I did not commit. I was trapped. I do not know by whom, though I have suspicions, but it could be any ninja of the village. Something big is coming and I do not know who to trust. But you are a stranger and I saw you are intelligent and virtuous. You are, and it's hard to admit, the only person I can rely on to find the real culprit, and prevent a potential disaster. Obviously they will not let you talk to me. I managed to convey this to you only using discretion and the trust of my little brother. I do not know who you can trust, except the Sandaime. But talk about this to him only at the last moment, in an extreme case or if you are sure he is not involved._

_My fate rest in your hands now._

_Uchiha Itachi_

When he finished, Steven needed to sit down. He felt on the verge of fainting. But he had not this right. He breathed deeply, under the worried looks of the two children, get a grip of himself and stood.

He looked with determination the message of Itachi. The Geek asked to Sasuke if he had read it. A bit embarrassed, the child with black hair recognized that it was the case, he was worried for his older brother.

Naruto wanted to know what was happening. But Steven then remembered something important. He said to the children to follow him, without giving further explanations. The teenager with chains quickly walked through the streets, tweaking with nervousness his pendants, especially his pentacle with emerald-green stones.

After a while, Steven stopped, under the intrigued eyes of the two future hero before the Shamisen bar. He remembered well that establishment. He visited it during the Hasaki case. Nothing had changed, not even his old owner or the customers, gamblers and drinkers.

But what astonished the most the Gamer-metalhead was the presence at the bar of a hefty ninja with dark spine-like hairs maintained by a Hitai ate with the symbol of Konoha. The kids thought it was his scowl, highlighted by his sharp goatee, and the two sickles in his back which worried the English teenager. But in reality, it was the black tattoos in the shape of triple spiky bars around his eyes.

The young Londoner ran before being spotted by the shadowy figure, followed closely by the mini ninjas. He ran a long time. Stopping only when his breath reached its limits.

"Hey Rai-san ..." Naruto called out. "What happened to you?"

Steven did not answer. He was completely overwhelmed. The deduction he had gave him nausea and the urge to flee to the other side of the world. With the Narrator who said that their lives and the world, were in danger, because of an event that might not occur, and a famous future genocidal ninja who asked his help ... Steven could only had one conclusion.

The Narrator wanted him to help Itachi to let him slaughter the Uchiha clan.

It was awful. Too much for him. He was expecting him to help commit a massacre.

Sasuke pulled Steven's sleeve and asked him if he would help him.

"I… cannot." Replied the geek.

He had a sense of déjà vu he didn't notice in the middle of all his discomfort.

Sasuke, shocked, stood before him and exclaimed.

"But you helped Hasaki and Inuzuka. Why would you not help me?"

Steven clenched his fists, tears in his eyes, which surprised Sasuke. He spoke again.

"I …can … not…"

The déjà vu feeling happened again. But he did not care. What he saw, however, was a sketchbook right under his face. He watched the hand that held it. Then he saw sleeve of a checked shirt.

Steven consciously looked at the book and read a sentence in Japanese. But one which caused a confusing mix of fear and euphoric release.

_It's not what you think._

The young English no longer knew how to react. Was the Narrator lying to him? It was possible. But he had no way of knowing if that was the case.

The Geek looked at the Uchiha child in the eyes and mumbled.

"Sasuke ... Your brother ..."

But the little Uchiha interrupted.

"He's the nicest brothers ever! He is amazing and always there for me! So Please! Help him!"

Steven saw in Sasuke's eyes despair laced with an innocent sincerity in his words. He could very well believe that, even Sasuke believed it himself, the child was simply that, a child, and that his word was not really truthful. But strangely, Steven felt ready to believe him. His words and his grief had moved him deeply.

There was only one way to be sure: To talk to this mangaka clone.

The geek turned to the little blond and asked.

"Naruto, do you know where Anko is?"

Surprised by the question, the child replied.

"No ... but I can ask Ojisan (Grandpa) where she is for you."

"You mean the Sandaime? Very well, do this. And you Sasuke, I want you to go at the hotel where the Sanin Tsunade is and then you ask Ria-San to come with you. I see you all at Naruto's apartment. Understood? "

The children, not understanding what was going on, couldn't move. Sasuke then asked, his voice tinged with a concern hidden behind a form of family pride.

"Does that mean ... that you will help my brother?"

Steven told him straight in the eye.

"I promise you that I'll get Itachi out of this mess."

Naruto looked surprised, like Sasuke. After that the blond boy said with energy.

"You can trust him! Rai-san ALWAYS keeps his promises."

"That's right Naruto." Confirmed the geek. "So, are you okay then ? I'll explain everything once at the apartment."

The two children looked eachother. Naruto showed such confidence that Sasuke agreed to do what the gamer told him. Each of them went in a different direction.

But when Steven was sure to be no longer visible by the two child, he went into an empty alley and pronounced.

"Hey Narrator! You owe me an explanation!"

"I expected that." Replied the man in checked shirt behind the metalhead.

Steven faced him, looked him in the eye and exclaimed.

"What did you mean by 'It's not what you think'?"

"You were in despair because you feared that your actions would cause the massacre of the Uchiha clan. But this cannot happen now."

The Geek seemed confused.

"I thought all your Key-things needed to happen ..."

"The massacre is not the Key-Point, it is its trigger. I cannot tell you what it really is, it's too risky, but, looking at the changes the Sokora caused, Itachi will not be able to cause the massacre as planned. "

Steven had the impression that something so heavy was removed from his shoulders that he would fly. But he had to ask.

"But the Key-Point can still happen?"

"Yes. It will be very different and I'll have to change a lot of things, but it is still possible. If it was too late, the world would be dislocated like I told you."

The Gamer rubbed his neck thoughtfully. He thought that it still could be a lie, but he could not doubt constantly. He had to accept what just said this dimensional demigod. But that did not prevent to declare something.

"Listen to me carefully ..." said the geek pointing him. "If you ever lie to me, even only on one point, I will never trust you again and you will have to forget my help forever. And do not pretend you could ask Ria to help you. You would have already done it otherwise and I can warn her. You contacted me because you needed me. If what you said is true, then I will do my best to assist you. Was I clear? "

The Narrator kept his impassive face from beginning to end. After a moment, he replied.

"I will consider this in the future. You can be sure."

He disappeared, leaving Steven alone in the alley. The Geek sighed and finally get back on the street.

* * *

_Later that day_

_Naruto's apartment_

Steven Ryan, Rihannon Ashford and Mitarashi Anko had just finished to install, the Gamer sitting at the head of the table. Naruto and Sasuke had been put outside, despite their protests, thanks to the Anko's bad attitude. She was happy to put the kids outside.

Despite his serious air, the metalhead thought, seeing the people at his table (Or to be precise... Naruto's table).

'Well, it looks more like a level 1 team from Baldur's Gate that the crew of the Normandy-2 but I guess it will be fine.'

Anko, who was chewing a stick of Dango, looking angry, exclaimed.

"So, will you told us why you took the risk of interrupting my snack to make me come here?"

Steven sighed, took Itachi's message and questioned the assembly.

"You know that Itachi Uchiha was arrested, isn't it?"

This question intrigued the young kunoichi and English girl.

"Of course." Confirmed the ninja.

The second asked.

"Who is not?"

Steven did not want to incur the wrath of Rihannon, who had already criticized him for his lack of sociability. So he cleared his throat and continue.

"If I assembled you, it is because you are the only ones I can trust to solve this case."

"What?!" Anko screamed. "Wait! You are not really thinking about involving in the Uchiha case, isn't it? Or even involving me?"

"Unfortunately, that's exactly what I have in mind."

"The Sandaime know about this?"

"No, for reasons I'll explain ..."

He watched the duo and his gaze stopped on Ria.

He and she had discussed privately shortly after her arrival. He told her that he was going to talk about Itachi's incarceration and told her he saw a ninja he had never seen on internet. He described to her the man in the Shamisen Bar and Ria's reaction was really intimidating. Her gaze was filled with rage and her fists clenched. Steven discovered that his name was Sokora Genkishi and that he was actually under Takeshi's thumb. If he was here, that meant the Sokora were going to do something.

The metalhead had to demonstrate some authority to make sure she wouldn't go running where this man was or call the Hokage or Tsunade. He promised some explanations later, asking for her to wait and that she was the one that discovered him. What was happening was important enough to justify a white lie. If he said he recognized a Sokora because 'his head was scary', this wouldn't seem logical as they were pretending coming from another country.

The redhead understood but does not see how the presence of Genkishi could be related with the accusations against Itachi.

"I've seen enough comments on the net to know that Itachi was not arrested for murder. He ran away after massacring the Uchiha clan. The fact that he is in prison, a new event, and a Sokora in town ... Does it not seems suspicious to you? "

Rihannon had to accept this: It was logical. She reluctantly agreed when he promised again to give her explanations.

Steven therefore gave Itachi's letter to Anko explaining what she meant.

"Itachi claims that he was trapped and to not trust anyone in the village, not even the Sandaime before being sure of his integrity. This means, to me, he had an important mission with risk, about a problem involving a large number of people or very influential people, and so he is not sure who he can trust. His mission was therefore to find traitors in the village. "

That conclusion shocked the girls, especially Anko. He did not interrupted.

"It's the only explanation I have to justify that it is necessary to not trust anyone. Otherwise, he would have named specific enemies. There, he is not sure who is pulling the strings in a larger project. But thanks to Ria, who described me this morning a strange man, we believe that the Sokora are related to this mess. "

Ria frowned. Thinking about Genkishi visibly infuriated her. Anko seemed annoyed. Like to the others, the Sandaime warned her against the weapons traffic of the Sokora clan and their projects of political destabilization of the elemental nations. She had even heard of a squad sent to infiltrate their island.

Steven said.

"I know that objectively it is possible that Itachi lied ... But, for some reason, I feel the need to involve in this case and find out what is happening."

"I totally agree with you Rai-San." Said a new voice.

The trio gasped and everyone turned his head toward the intruder. Ria, Steven and Anko quite jumped from their chairs discovering a famous masked ninja with silver hair, hands in the pockets.

"Hatake-San?" Anko wondered. "But why are you here?"

Ria had her mouth agape seeing the famous Kakashi, the source of admiration of her little sister, in the flesh.

Steven was more surprised by something else.

"And how did you get in?" The Gamer worried.

The Jonin merely replied.

"I'm a ninja."

"... No Comments." Said Steven.

"As for why I'm here, it's simple. I sometimes protect Naruto."

Steven hesitated a moment then he saw that Kakashi had the same hairstyle that the ANBU he had met the day he saved Naruto. The ninja added.

"And I was watching him today."

There, Steven froze.

"You mean ..." Tried geek. "That you have seen everything?"

"Yes, until you separate. I had to stay near Uzumaki after all."

"It's plausible.' Steven thought. 'Otherwise Kishimoto wouldn't have appeared.'

But Kakashi had therefore saw him when he was crying on the ground. Steven became red with shame.

"If I may, you overreact a bit in the street."

"Really?" Anko wondered. "You'll have to tell me this."

Exactly what Steven feared. To try to distract him, he quickly asked Hatake.

"Okay but, really, what are you doing here?"

"I saw that the young Uchiha wanted you to help him clear his brother. I heard your argument and I totally agree with what you said. So I think one more a pair of arms would be helpful. "

Steven was very surprised. Hatake Kakashi would help him discover what was going on in Konoha. He felt already more able to succeed because he could not imagine a single second that he could be a traitor. Ria asked then.

"But shouldn't you watch over Naruto?"

"I finished for the week. It is Cat's problem now."

A short but quite oppressive silence happened in the room.

Hating this, Steven told to the famous Jonin.

"Well ... Welcome in team as they say."

"What an honor." Kakashi quipped, smiling at him.

Steven therefore rose by stating, more confident than ever.

"Listen to me. I do not know yet exactly what happens in this town. But I can promise you one thing. It's that I intend to find out. One way or another."

Ria seemed worried. Anko seemed quite angry. And Kakashi had a mask, but it was obvious he was going to be very serious.

'Excellent.' Steven thought seeing his team. "Let's just hope there's not a Yagami Light in front of us.'

The Uchiha case could now begun.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the south of the Fire Nation, a ninja squad arrived in the trees near a turbulent ocean.

In the distance, they could see an island that would be very difficult to reach. The one that lived and reigned on it were from the famous Sokora clan.

The Konoha's ninjas had to hurry. The sea was agitated, as usual, but the sky was clear, and it does not happen often in this area. The storms were so common that this rocky piece of land surrounded by reefs, cliffs and other marine currents was named Arashishima.

The Island of the Storm.

Their mission was to get there and nullify Takeshi Sokora's project, if necessary with blood.

With a group of Shinobi and Kunoichi over trained, the best of Konoha, against an old man, a scientist and a few villagers, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Alright ^^ I hope you like it. Don't forget a little review pleeease T-T

Now I'm going to translate three chapters of "The queen, the geek and the princess".

See you soon ;-)

List of references:

Pokemon, Monster Hunter, Zelda, (yet) Pokémon, Pandora Heart, Warcraft, Diablo 3, Nightmare on Elm Street, Dragon Age, Slender, Monster Hunter, Avatar: The last airbender, Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, Assassin's Creed 3, Metal Gear Solid, The Hobbit, Planescape Torment, Bioshock Infinite, Professor Layton, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VI, Phoenix Wright, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, Death Note.


	15. Chapter 15

Traduction chapitre 15

Hello everyone

I know you have been waiting for too long so here's the new chapter ^^

I thank all those who have decided to follow this fic and have written a Review.

And I have great news for you: Thanks to one of my greatest friend and reader, I decided to create a Facebook page about Steven Ryan's adventures.

It's name is "Fanfiction Steven Ryan's Chronicles"

I'm admin, just like my friend ^^ We will post somehing every time a chapter is progressing and you will find Fanart, Frequently Asked Questions, musics, etc ...

You also can ask myself questions about Steven's universe and post your Fanarts.

^^ See you later ;-)

PS: If you want to laugh later, prepare the website called:

You will understand when the time comes.

Music:

_Eagleheart_ – Stratovarius

* * *

Chapter 15

We always imagine that the atmosphere is tense when the world is in danger, even cataclysmic. The truth is that, sometimes, you can end up with a huge sword of Damocles over your head without being aware of it. Nothing in the Konoha's atmosphere, on this beautiful sunny day, could augure that Itachi Uchiha's fate was at stake, and thus the entire universe's one.

The only person to be aware of the danger seemed however to not being worried. From the outside, he even seemed not to not care about it at all. He was just walking in the middle of a shopping street, hands in his pockets and his headphones on, quite relaxed.

The afternoon was quite advanced and the geek with chains, accompanied by his friend with wooden beads in their hair, walked muttering a Stratovarius's song.

Ria, however, seemed sullen, even very upset. She seemed to wonder what she was doing here and what might be keeping her to run away.

When her companion with the Reaper of souls's tee shirt softly intoned the chorus of his song again, she began to grunt and give him a nudge, interrupting his reverie.

Rather annoyed, the Otaku withdrew one of his earphones saying.

"What now?"

"Can you stop humming?" Asked the girl in sweater.

Steven looked surprised.

"I did it again?" He said astonished.

It was the turn of Ria to be confused.

"Again?" She asked.

"Well ... Apparently I sometimes sing without realizing it."

"So?"

"So I never did that before coming here. You've never heard me doing this at school, right?"

Rhiannon searched a bit in her memory. She had to admit.

"I don't think so, it's true ... Anyway, if you could stop doing it please."

"If I could, I would never do it. Believe me. But what's the matter actually?"

"You're stressing me out."

Steven saw clearly by her frowning face that she was not in a good mood. He almost innocently offered her, handing her on of his earphone.

"You want to listen to my music?"

"Uh ... Why are you asking me this?" She hesitated.

"It may help you relax. It's Eagleheart, I think you would like it."

The redhead didn't know how to react to the relaxed tone of his companion in misfortune. She finally sigh a blow asking.

"How can you be so calm."

"What makes you think I am?"

Rhiannon raised an eyebrow explaining.

"You look perfectly serene."

"It's just that I'm not the type to worry unnecessarily."

"Unnecessarily? You involved me, and two main characters of this manga, in a potentially very serious mess."

"Yes I know. What I mean is that the result depends on whether Anko and Kakashi manage to bring us the necessary files ..."

"that YOU asked them to search, knowing they might fail, drawing the attention of these people against whom Itachi warned us. Does it not disturbs you to have sent people putting their's head on the block?"

"Yes, but I can't do anything by myself. It depends only on them and their abilities. Worrying about something on which I have no control will not make anything progress faster."

Ria tried to replicate to this, but she knew he was right. She snarled once before declaring.

"I see what you mean ... But I do not understand how you manage to be so relaxed."

Steven replied, putting his headphone back to his ear and lowering the volume of his music.

"Generally, I play, listen to music or watch a movie when I have to wait for something in a stressful situation."

"Like during the Exam periods?"

"No, I don't care about that."

Ria almost laughed. But she was still too stressed to relax like her friend. Seeing that, Steven tried to talk to make her think about something else.

"Whatever, how is it with the old blonde?" He asked.

"Tsunade-sensei? Not bad. She just assessed me, taught me some tricks then told me she would teach me how to use my chakra."

The geek seemed to have little stars in his eyes.

"Seriously?" He said enthusiastically. "You will become a super hero then?"

Ria remained, however, very serious, answering.

"Hard to say. She explained that my chakra level is pretty average, but certainly because I've never done anything to use or improve it. Considering where we come from, it's not so surprising, actually."

"It's still better than me." Steven joked. "The old Sarutobi said I have barely enough chakra to survive. Hehe."

The girl stopped their march, shouting.

"There is no reason to laugh Steven! If we meet Genkishi, he will skin us like rabbits. We have to improve ourselves or he and his boss will exterminate us."

This time it was Steven who remained speechless.

He didn't thought about this situation like this.

The metalheads was really afraid when Eiko and Kamu attempted to kill him. And, if he could remember his dreams, he wouldn't have been surprised to discover that this living statue with alabaster hair and his Cerberus were there. Now, he had to resolve a case that was going to hinder people obviously powerful enough to put a famous Naruto's character in trouble. How could he have not considered the risks?

The idea of being in danger again accelerated his heart rate. However, he managed to remain calm by keeping a slow and deep breathing, but his face and his eyes seemed to show that he had a terrible revelation.

The young red-haired girl realized she had obviously open Steven's eyes, but with too much efficiency. He seemed lost and on the brink of panic. Knowing he was already imagining himself with a kunai on the neck, Ria felt quite ashamed and tried to reassure his companion of misfortune.

"Uh ... But meanwhile I'm sure Kakashi-san and Anko-san will protect us. We just have to be careful."

Steven understood what she was trying to do. The Geek then managed to calm a bit; but feeling threatened like this didn't allowed himself to recover immediately, as if nothing had happened. Rhiannon didn't feel less embarrassed when she saw him pulling himself together, for she saw that she hadn't completely succeeded. She even had the impression to have inflame a situation that didn't need to be.

And when the geek observed the condition in which they were, he did not like at all what he discovered. He decided to try.

"Listen Ria ... I know what you're trying to tell me. But I do not think we really are in danger right now. There's little chance that anyone knows that we're trying to save Itachi. He said himself in his letter that he was discreet and, for now, we have nothing that suggest that peoples know we're interested about that case. So ... We could perhaps continue this discussion later. "

Ria knew she had probably reacts to his nonchalance with too much vehemence, mainly because of the fact that Genkishi Sokora was in town. She was ashamed of herself, especially knowing that Steven had tried to cheer her up. His calmness warranted some discussion but no such rage. The Londoner then hung her head in embarrassment and nodded to accept his offer to discuss about this later.

The geek thought, with some hesitation, that he could perhaps try again to have a funny discussion.

"Well, let's go then." He suggested, indicating the street with his thumb. "I do not like shopping then let's finish this."

Ria knew what Steven was intending to do and, not wanting to do the same stupid thing again, answered lightly, with an amused smile.

"Yet it is you who proposed to go to the supermarket while our ninja buddies come back."

The Geek then resumed, walking in the shopping street, specifying with a touch of annoyance.

"Because I only eat ramenfor three days because of the obsession of the blonde kid. If I swallow one more pot I go into Rage of Sparta Mode directly. And it is time that someone finally prepare a decent meal for this kid, especially tonight. "

Near him, the redhead asked.

"Why especially tonight?"

"We have to see some Dragonball's episodes. An Anime evening is something very serious that has to be done with a good meal. And as there is no pizza around here ..."

"Wait !" Interrupted a shocked Rhiannon, stopping again their march. "You have shown a cartoon to Naruto?"

"It's not Cartoon! It's Anime!"

"I don't care! Can you tell me why you did that, idiot?"

"To apologize for scaring him, I showed him something that would make him happy. What's the matter? It's not like I had shown him his own adventure or an hyper-futuristic technology. They have screens here. And, more important, he is super happy. "

"And if there's a commercial for his TV show in one of your episodes? Did you thought about this?"

"You didn't watch a lot of Anime. Isn't it?" Steven analyzed calmly, walking again. "Dragonball was released almost fifteen years before Naruto. So no risk, keep calm."

The redhead stammered, trying desperately to replicate. But she had to go admit the obvious: Even if it seemed strange to her, if what Steven said was true, he had done nothing wrong. Naruto wasn't going to learn the truth about his hero status and the geek would help him to have fun. She accepted her failure, then exclaimed.

"You're really impossible. I can't believe I was worried about you when you disappeared ..."

"Don't be like this. You should instead be happy that my stuffs are in good condition. I still have my entire collection of movies thanks to this. So you can come and watch one if you want."

Rhiannon seemed surprised, less by the offer itself than the fact it was Steven who made him, who always seemed like a perfectly asocial person.

"Seriously?" She said, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Yeah ... Well I don't have all that exists, of course, but if you are looking for a famous movie, there's a good chance I have it."

"Even Snow White?" Suggested the girl in sweater.

Steven thought she asked this to see how complete his collection was. He replied with some embarrassment, but without real shame, because the explanation he could give for his defense was good.

"Yes, it's a classic. I had to have it."

"And Robocop?"

"Of course."

"Scarface?"

"Yes Yes."

"The Lion King ?"

"Yeah."

"Avatar?"

"I have it."

"The Aristocats?"

"It's possible."

Steven began to think there was something suspicious.

"The Goonies?"

"I had a promotion on it, yes."

"Cinderella?"

"Uh ... yeah."

"Terminator?"

"You almost insult me there."

"The Last Samurai?"

"Watched many times."

"Aladdin?"

"I suppose."

With the stubbornness of Ria, and her happy face, the geek eventually suspected something, in addition to finding his friend slightly annoying.

"Dead Poets Society?"

"Uh ... yes."

"John Carter?"

"This is one of my favorite movies."

"The beauty and the Beast?"

"Definitely ... You love Disney movies a lot it seems." Interrupted the metalhead.

Ria suddenly lost her smile, finally noticing her attitude, then looked away, saying softly.

"Not especially. It's just that it's very famous so it just immediately get into my mind."

Steven almost wanted to believe her. But the assumption he had in mind seemed so absurd to him, given what he knew about Rhiannon that he could not help but want to verify it. He absolutely wanted to know if what he thought was true. He then took himself as an example to imagine a little trap. He thus invented a trick that would permit, potentially, to provide a clear and definitive answer.

The geek with chains uttered casually.

"Yes, it's true that everyone has seen at least one. Well, Disney and me… it's complicated but I remember having watched one a lot of times when I was younger ..." He seemed to be searching in his memory. "But I don't remember which one ... I think there was a princess who had a pink or blue dress and pricked her finger to something ..."

"It's Sleeping Beauty." Cut the redhaired. "Her name is Aurora, or Briar Rose for a long time, and her dress is pink and blue, because the fairies Flora and Merryweather..."

Ria suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide open, stopping herself.

The girl slowly turned her gaze to Steven's shoked face, who remained a moment before exclaiming with amusement.

"I can't believe it ... Ria ... You're a Disney Fangirl?!"

Her friend blushed to the ears stammering.

"N... No ... Of course not ... I ... I ... Uh ..."

"Do not try to deny it." Informed Steven, smiling. "You've mentioned a lot of Disney movies because you like them, it's obvious. You wanted to know if I have them and you tried to hide it by requesting others, but I suspected something. And I quickly realized that if you were as much a fan of Disney as I am, for example, with my games, you would not resist to the urge to fill my gaps on the subject and so talk about what you love the most. "

The new disciple of Tsunade began to panic. It was almost like being undressed in public to her. She even thought about running away to the end of the world. But when she saw the face of the geek, halfway between amusement and amazement, she grabbed him with both hands by the collar and creaked.

"If you repeat this to anyone, I deny everything and tear your heart!"

"Hey! No need to get angry!" Steven said. "I have no intention of telling it to anyone. And anyway with who?"

Ria thought about it for a moment and then, realizing that he was right, once again, let him go, still in shock.

The metalhead rearranged his medallions in place before venturing to ask.

"Why did you do that? I said nothing."

"Yeah, but you were going to do it." Answered Ria.

"Absolutely not." Informed Steven, a little on edge. "It's just that I never imagined that you would like this kind of film, especially at this point."

The girl sighed a big blow, to relax a bit, before adding.

"And I hoped that no one would ever have discovered it. The only one who is aware of this is my little sister."

Steven calmed down. He understood very well that she did not want the other students in their class to discover his passion. If she was eight or nine years old, there would be no problems. But for a sixteen years old girl, it was a bit more problematic. It was the kind of thing you like to keep for yourself, a secret garden. If the other students had discovered it, they would not only have talked about this all the time but no one would have taken her seriously, because she acted like a strong woman.

The metalhead told her that he understood why she did not want it to let it be known to his partner and promised to keep this revelation to himself, even if he could not help but smile and laugh a little.

"Contrary to what you seem to believe, he clarified, I never make fun of the others passions."

Rhiannon was not fully convinced, and it would need some time to accept that someone else knew her secret, but the young English girl understood that there was no risk that he tell it to someone else. Mainly because there was no way that a ninja in this world know Disney.

But it was also because she couldn't imagine Steven making fun of her about this. She didn't know very well actually. When they were still going to school, their relationship was limited to some discussion, which were sometimes exhausting, given the nonchalant and stubborn personality of the geek. But despite the fact that he seemed arrogant and lonely, he had seemed more reliable and respectful than many other students, especially when he offered her his necklace of the triple moon, which was still under her black sweatshirt.

And despite the time that had passed, that impression was reinforced when she heard about what he had done in Konoha. And even more when she heard him offering to help Naruto, the night he had introduced him to her.

Therefore, she decided to trust Steven.

The Geek with chains had then a sympathetic smile. Then he started to walk again asking.

"So, do you often watch the Disney movies?"

Ria understood he just wanted to talk, not mocking her, which strangely felt good. She never had someone with whom discuss about his passion. So she answered him on a slightly playful tone.

"Every day. I will never be bored of them I think."

"You watched them with your sister?"

"Of course. When she wanted to, she came looking for me and I stopped everything I was doing to come."

"I know that feel." Steven said with some hidden jealousy. "Did you also spend sleepless night with what you love?"

"Sometimes. Once, I watched the three Toy Story in one go. I was still dreaming about it the next day."

The girl then remembered something. She was not sure how to tell it but risked it anyway.

"On another note ..." she checked. "Did you had other… dreams ... since the last time?"

Steven looked intrigued at her friend. He understood what she meant. He hesitated to speak but, like her, there were not many people whit whom talk about that. He then clarified quietly.

"I told you, these are not really dreams. Rather images or visions. And yes I still have it. Everyday actually."

"Really? And did you thought about writing them down in a book or something?"

"Yeah, I borrowed Naruto's notebook and I thought buying a new one while we take food. I'm not good at writing descriptions but I could record my last visions. For example, the day before yesterday, I saw a strange place I recognized. "

Ria began to be particularly intrigued.

"What place ?" She asked.

"An island with a rocket, a building with column, a sunken boat and a clock."

"Wow ... It's strange, it's ringing a bell."

"It's normal." Steven added. "Honestly, I have never traveled on an island, so maybe I'm simply obsessed. But there's an island that I know by heart, for the migraines it gave me. It's the Island of Myst ... And what I saw WAS the island of Myst. I am sure fifty-thousand percent. "

Then, Ria began to find this very suspicious.

"Now that you say it, that's possible. I know it because my father played this game when I was a kid... But you do not remember other visions? You've spent six months here after all."

"I didn't have the right to have something to write in my asylum's cell. Pencils were considered as dangerous objects in my section. So I forgot everything I saw very quickly. I can remember them only if I calmly write them when I wake up. "

"And ... what did you saw that night?"

"It's just as weird. I saw the Warehouse 13."

"The what?"

"This is a place in a series with the same name. I recognized it very quickly because I love this series."

Ria, a little disturbed by what Steven said, suggested.

"Maybe you're just a geek who cannot think about anything else, even in your dreams."

Steven replied with the dejection of a tired person facing an insoluble mystery.

"I have also thought about that. But in that case why did it never happened before? I have these visions only since I got here."

Rhiannon did not know what to say there. He was absolutely right on this point. But the fact that these 'visions' had apparently no noticeable effects prevented her from really taking this story seriously. She wondered sometimes if he had not invented everything, but strongly doubted it looking how serious he was.

"I don't know." She finally admitted.

Seeing that they were discussion became unpleasant again, Steven thought it was for the best to change the subject.

"Well, anyway, if you want to come see Disney movies, do not hesitate to ask me."

"I thought you did not like Disney, assumed the teenage girl, given what you said before."

"I said it was complicate, the geek corrected, not that I hated them, although I do not often watch them. But you really love them to the point of doing it every day?"

"Yeah ..."

Ria began to hesitate a little, but considering the discussion they had, she thought she could tell him the whole truth.

"Actually, when I was younger, I dreamed about being a princess, like all little girls. But I think I always want it today."

Steven looked for a moment at the disciple of Tsunade ... then tried to not laugh, asking.

"And you had a lot of dolls and toys, princess?"

Ria's eyes widened as she realized she had obviously made a mistake by talking too much.

Steven then realized, discovering how Ria was looking at him, full of rage, it was better to avoid making her believe that she shouldn't have trust him. Especially as he hated betraying peoples, even if very few persons trusted him during his life.

He cleared his throat as they walked in front of a clothing store.

"I mean, if you're a big fan you ..."

He stopped suddenly, eyes wide open, then ran, intriguing the young redhead.

The Geek then faced the store so fast that Ria wondered for a second if he had not passed the sound barrier for a moment.

"TELL ME I AM DREAMING!" Screamed the metalhead, flabbergasted by what was on the showcase.

Ria stood beside him and discovered a model wearing the dress that caused such hysteria. The Otaku bellowed.

"Do you see this long coat?! It looks like Neo's one in the first Matrix! All black, in fabric and Hyper Class!"

Rhiannon, although quite worried, was not really surprised that her geek friend reacted like this. She knew he was very passionate, too much actually, and had to admit that the coat was very much like the one Steven talked about. She remembered the volumes of Naruto that she read and thought.

"I seems it's not so rare. Anko has one and the Fourth Hokage had one too."

As if he had heard nothing, the metalhead with medallions screamed.

"I need it! Immediately!"

Ria then suggested.

"If you have money, go ahead."

The geek looked at the price tag at the foot of the dummy ... and screamed so loud that Ria recoiled.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !"

The Geek fall down with an aura of disappointment so powerful that even the young redhead could not scold him, especially when she saw the price of the coat he desired. She had learned to evaluate the price of everything in this world, and this dress was actually really expensive. It was obviously high-quality fabric.

The redhead then asked, having some pity for his companion.

"Come on, you're so disappointed? You can save money and wait a little bit right?"

That said, she knew that he wouldn't have wait just "a little bit" looking how expensive it was. The geek looked up and said to the girl with a look full of tears.

"To use a language you'll understand, it's like if you saw the frock of the sleeping beauty in real life without being able to buy it."

"Will you stop making fun of me?" Rhiannon bellowed. "And what makes you think I like frocks? This is absolutely not my type."

"Do you prefer Cinderella's one?"

"Of course… NO ... I mean ..."

She began to blush and take her head in her hands. She now almost wanted to hide under the ground for the rest of her life. But before she could fully recover, Steven asked, once again, point blank.

"Ria ... Did you ever played GTA 5?"

"Huh ...? Uh ... Yes. Why?"

"Perfect !" He said with a renewed enthusiasm. "Then you know how to do a robbery!"

An angry vein appeared on the redhead's forehead, understanding what he was thinking about.

"NOT EVEN IN DREAMS!" Roared the English girl.

Thus, Rhiannon knocked Steven's skull with a huge bump, making him faint.

"Come on ... Let's finish with this errand." She grumbled, entering into the shop.

* * *

During that time, in an official building of Konoha, Kakashi was sitting in front of the desk of a member of the village's police.

The shinobi would have preferred that Anko would take the files they needed, according to Rai-san. But they both knew that the reputation of the former Orochimaru's pupil, yet bad enough, would bring a lot of problems, and that it would brought suspicion because it was a matter that did not concerned her.

So it was to him, the Anbu with the aura of a heroe, to discuss with the one investigating on the Uchiha Shisui's case.

But given the annoyed look that the ninja-policeman had, there would be troubles.

"Can I ask why you are interested on that case?" Asked the Uchiha.

"It does not concern me directly, I am aware." Hatake said. "But I thought I could bring a different perspective and additional information since Shisui-san and Itachi-san are members of the Anbu like me. I often had occasions to speak with them."

The eyes of the police officer didn't softened at all. He seemed to be trying to see behind the impassive face of the masked ninja, without success.

"Thank you for your offer, but it will not be necessary. If we need your expertise, or to ask you something, we will come straight to you. This is not to offend you but it is too serious to tell the details to people that are not directly related to the case. "

Kakashi was not fooled. He felt the hypocrisy of the officer. But, saying this, the man in charge of the case had revealed a tiny detail that mattered to the masked ninja.

"It may be more than just a crime of passion?" He asked.

"Again, this does not concern you. If you really think you can make yourself useful, you'd better make a request to Fugaku-san, or see the Hokage himself."

He dodged the question. For the ninja, it was not a good sign.

Hatake knew he would only draw unnecessary attention by insisting. He had to retire to discuss about a plan B with Anko. The shinobi apologized for the inconvenience, without being honest, then left the Uchiha's office.

Once outside the police station, the shinobi looked for his partner with his only visible eye. He found her in the shade of a small street, eating Dangos. When he was close enough to her, the kunoichi finished them and threw the stick. Hatake joined her and she asked, smiling.

"How many time ?"

"Ten minutes ..." Kakashi replied.

"Not bad. I would have thought that after five you would have already getting out."

The attempt of the snake lady to relax the atmosphere was a failure, looking at the severe look of his colleague. She lost her amused look and declared.

"Anyway, it was to be expected. The Uchiha do not let others get involved in an attack against the clan."

"Indeed ..." Kakashi mused. "The victim and suspect are two of their most powerful members. Their honor is at stake."

"And as they are not really talkative, no way to know if the officer keeps his information because of his pride or because he has a connection with all this mess."

Kakashi nodded. The Uchiha were not known as the most open people in the village. And if they didn't allowed him to take a look at this case, Anko and Kakashi could clearly not ask for the other files Steven said he needed, because it was sensitive informations and, apparently, unrelated to Shisui's murder.

Anko then suggested.

"We can always try our luck in the morgue for a copy of the coroner's report."

"Rais-san said that the cause of death would be useless without the potential informations contained in the files he listed."

The lady snake growled in frustration.

"What do you suggest then?" Inquired the kunoichi. "Rai-san said he need all of them. I would have stolen them myself but, assuming I can find them in a building full of Uchiha, they would notice the absence of Shisui's file very quickly."

Kakashi tried to find a solution. But he had to admit that the situation was tricky. The slightest suspicious actions may attract the attention of the peoples who managed to trap Itachi-san. Neither of the ninjas were at ease to act as if all the people of Konoha were possible traitors. But they had no choice.

Kakashi cocked his head to watch the police station from their alley. He then thought aloud.

"The problem, if we summarize, is to acquire these files. The only way to have them would be sending someone who would have a direct access to them in addition of having good reasons to read them. "

Anko explained.

"The only persons who fit this description are an Uchiha and the Hokage."

Hatake prepared to respond when the two ninjas were interrupted by a Kunai launched between them.

Anko and Kakashi jumped back, in fighting position, facing the direction where the weapon came from. They then discovered a figure Anko did not recognize, but that Kakashi did.

A mysterious character with a similar mask to those of the Anbu, wearing a big black hooded dress, watched them from a crossing. But he went into another street right away.

Alarmed by the idea that they were spotted by the people they were avoiding, Anko ran into the dark alleys. Kakashi was right behind her, trying to tell her something, but she didn't even seemed to listen.

In the end, they finally arrive in a disgusting, gloomy streets where they froze on the spot by discovering their target in the company of another person with the face marked by numerous scars and surrounded by bandages.

Anko was surprised, Kakashi wasn't. He knew that this person would be here as soon as he saw this strange masked ninja. The two figures were standing right in front of them, staring at the ninjas as two statues.

The kunoichi exclaimed.

"What are you doing here Shimura-sama?"

On the spot, nobody reacts. A heavy silence fell.

Indeed, just in front of them was Danzo Shimura, Leader of the High Council of Konoha and direct opponent of the Sandaime. If there was one person Anko and Kakashi would have suspected of conspiracy right now, it would have been him. The duo stood ready to fight.

Did they had discovered the person who had killed Shisui and trapped Itachi?

Danzo remained impassive. His subordinate pulled out a sword.

The tension between the two groups was palpable. The slightest movement could degenerate into bloodshed.

Kakashi stared at Danzo. He knew how this man could be dangerous and eager to accomplish his objectives.

But, to their astonishment, Shimura-san asked his subordinate to store his weapon.

Anko and Kakashi, surprised, didn't relaxed. Danzo took a step forward and said, with a chill calm.

"Why are you interested in Shisui's case?"

Neither ninjas answered him. Silence stood.

However, the frustration of Anko get the upper hand.

"How does it concern you?"

"Believe it or not, but what happened to Itachi-san concern me actually."

Kakashi tried to find a sign revealing if he was lying or not. Strangely, he saw nothing. Anko argued.

"You want to make us believe that you have pity for the young Uchiha?"

"No, replied Danzo, but for some reason, that I will not reveal to you, I have good reason to believe that this murder is hiding something very serious, a threat for the village."

Kakashi then asked.

"Why telling us?"

Shimura-san replied.

"Because if you involve in this case, you who do not know Shisui-san or Itachi-san very well, and don't really know each other, either you are linked to this murder, or you're planning to discover the truth on behalf of someone."

The duo stood on fighting position. Kakashi suggested.

"And what makes you think that we do not act on our own?"

Danzo explained, always with an irritating calm.

"As I said, you barely know each other. If one of you decided, for whatever reason, to investigate on Shisui's murder, none of you would have chosen the other as a partner, since there's other people that you trust much more. "

Anko growled.

"You seem to know many things about us."

He continued.

"Let's just say it's my job. But what is important is that you ended up working together on a case already assigned to someone else, you must be working for someone who is very interested about it."

Hearing that she was 'working' for Steven pretty bored Anko, because she did not like the idea that anyone could believe she was following the orders of such an annoying person. But before her spontaneity make her argue, Kakashi interrupted by quickly placing his arms in front of her. He stood straight, making Anko, after a moment's hesitation, do the same, then discussed.

"Maybe it's the Hokage who sends us. Don't you think?" Inquired the shinobi.

Danzo challenged.

"You came to look for informations you are trying to have without drawing attention on you. If you had to do it for the Hokage, he would have allowed you to do so on its behalf. It is perfectly plausible that he wants to take a look at such a serious matter. "

Anko was really starting to get angry. She was gripping her kunai so hard that her arm trembled a little. Kakashi kept his calm but with more difficulty than usual. Nobody liked Danzo. Everyone knew he wanted to be Hokage and that having him behind meant risking getting backstab when it would be good for him. The formidable intelligence he was demonstrating only made him more suspicious and dangerous.

The ninja duo had to make a choice. Either they took the risk to talk with Danzo, knowing that every word could be a lie, or they tried to flee. A battle with him, in the middle of the village, was out of question. There might be too much damage and innocent victims based only on assumptions, in addition to not being totally sure of victory.

Running away would bring nothing good either. They would only seem suspect. Danzo would cause them troubles, no matter if they were responsible or not of the Uchiha's murder.

Kakashi looked at Anko to try to see what she was thinking about.

Anko grunted once. But she ends up making an approving nod. They were in an impasse and, even if it was from Danzo, informations was good to take to the point where they were. Even a lie could lead them to an interesting direction, only proving how Shimura-san was suspect.

Kakashi explained.

"We do work with someone to find the real killer of Uchiha Shisui."

Danzo seemed unmoved. Then he asked.

"Who?"

"Why would we tell you?" Mitarashi intervened.

Danzo replied.

"Because not telling me more will only give me more reason to consider you as suspect."

Kakashi knew that. He had no choice but to reveal the truth.

"It is Rai-san."

Shimura-san finally showed a slight sign of emotion. But that apparently was anger.

"This does not help you." Clarified Danzo. "Assist a stranger to investigate on a case involving the most powerful clan of the village ..."

Hatake cut it before it goes any further.

"Let's be serious Shimura-Sama. You don't think for one second that he could be responsible of this murder."

Danzo was silent. It was a positive sign for Kakashi and Anko.

"Actually, no ..." recognized the man with scars. "He is intelligent, but I cannot imagine him succeeding in trapping two Uchiha without one of them seeing it coming. Almost the whole village has an eye on him, we would have quickly found a clue, a witness... "

The discussion was better for the duo.

"That said, continued Danzo, I do not understand why he gets involved in this case if he has no connection with the Uchiha."

Anko and Kakashi deduced he didn't know that Itachi had contacted Steven through his little brother. It was a good thing according to them, if Danzo was guilty, it was better to ignore the involvement of Sasuke and that Itachi had a way to communicate with the outside.

"You know, bluffed Anko, he bent to involve into matters that does not concern him. Especially if he heard that Itachi had a little brother."

Danzo did not react on the spot ... But the ruse seemed to work.

"I see." Danzo accepted. "And why did you agree to help?

"Because we also believe that this case hide something." Anko stated. "Itachi-san had no reason to kill Shisui-san. They got along well. Steven think it means that someone trapped him, someone powerful enough to make us act discreetly. "

Shimura said.

"It makes sense. But his intelligence still make me be wary of him."

The four ninjas stood silent for a few seconds. Kakashi, however, was intrigued enough by how thoughtful Danzo seemed now.

But what Danzo did then surprised more Anko and Hatake.

The man with the bandages pulled a scroll from his kimono and threw it to the ninjas. They looked then at Shimura-san with a puzzled glance. Danzo explained.

"I have myself reasons to believe that someone important is preparing something against Konoha. With this permission, you can take documents in my name."

Anko could not hide her surprise. Shimura said.

"My actions are probably under surveillance too. You will surely find out who is worthy of trust."

After that, Danzo and his subordinate disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Mitarashi and Hatake there, quite destabilized.

Anko looked quickly around her, but felt no presence. Danzo was indeed gone.

"What was that?" She asked with disbelief. "Did Danzo Shimura really helped us?"

Kakashi read the scroll that had given him the man with scars. It was an authentic message allowing his owner to bring important documents to the Head of the High Council. When she heard this, Anko didn't know what to say. She then asked to her partner.

"You think we can trust him?"

Kakashi replied without hesitation.

"Honestly ... I don't know. But we have no choice."

Mitarashi sighed. She also had to accept the situation. Without this paper, they couldn't do anything. Danzo could have very well let them there and go. Instead, he gave them something that would allow them to move forward and unmask potential traitors.

The snake lady said.

"The Uchiha will think it's suspect if you come back so fast with such authorization."

Kakashi nodded and gave her the scroll. The kunoichi looked warily at the paper, then walk towards the police station, leaving Hatake behind her. It was his turn to wait in the shadows.

When she entered into the building, some ninjas inside were intrigued and looked towards her with contemptuous eyes, but she ignored them as much as possible. She knew few people in the village liked her, and that it wouldn't settled in recent years. She was used to it, thinking about those who now trusted her, and were slightly more than before.

She finally reached the reception and calmly demanded to the receptionist, leaving the famous scroll on the home furniture.

"I am here to take some files for Danzo Shimura-sama."

The woman raised an eyebrow, saying a little bored.

"Again?"

Anko didn't said anything. The Uchiha, a kunoichi trained more than we can possibly imagine for a person doing this kind of job, resigned, understanding that it would be pointless to lament. She read carefully the scroll then asked to Mitarashi.

"Okay. What files do you need?"

Anko took back the authorization, remembered the words of Steven and informed the kunoichi.

"Those concerning the Hasaki, Inuzuka and Shisui's cases, and everything you have on the Sokora clan."

* * *

In the late afternoon, anyone might wonder if Naruto's apartment was still his own, or if they had put the boy outside to convert the place into an investigative office.

Now, the little boy was still outside to train or play with Uchiha Sasuke. Ria was not very comfortable with this idea because it was really different from what she seemed to have read in the manga, but she had more important things to do. And it would have been strange for her to say that two children shouldn't have fun, even knowing how lonely Naruto was.

The ragtag group, consisting of Anko, Kakashi, Rhiannon and Steven, was now gathered around the table. The boy with medallions was photographing the files while the ninjas were telling him everything they knew about the Itachi and Shisui's clan.

After their shopping, the two strangers had to wait the return of their teammate, which left time for the geek to install one of his two laptops. The device puzzled Mitarashi at first. Computers existed in this world according to her, but they were generally used by medical teams or certain very specific services, such as the cryptographic unit. What impressed the kunoichi was how the foreign device seemed complex and powerful compared to those of the village. Especially because the English had his PC connected to a portable solar generator, an external hard drive and a wireless mouse. Many objects that surprised Anko, and for which Steven had to take a moment to explain the function.

Despite the fact that the ninjas interrupted his Mass Effect game, the young man, in black T-shirt of Reaper of Souls, was reassured by seeing the files in their hands. Anko gave it to him, as he closed and pushed his computer, by preventing him that they should bring them back really fast and, therefore, it was better to read them carefully to memorize. To what the geek replied casually and smiling, she did not have to worry because he took his MyPhone-Zeta and began to photograph every documents in each file. The smartphone interested Anko but Steven interrupted her curiosity to ask her to tell him more about the Uchiha, and all they had noticed that could be potentially interesting when they got the files.

When Hatake finished his explanations, the metalhead had seemed so focused, snapping the files, that his three partners wondered if he had heard them. Mitarashi was also a bit surprised seeing him like that. She knew he was serious when he was working on a case, but she would never have believed he would read that kind of paperwork so carefully. She also made a remark. To which he replied, not looking up from what he was doing.

"When you've played as many games as I do, you know how a simple document can change everything."

The snake lady did not try to find out more informations. She had understood that speaking about his "Games" might annoy and frustrate her again.

And while the Londoner finished taking pictures, Kakashi told him about the meeting they had with Danzo Shimura and what he had done to help them. Steven and Ria didn't know enough about this character to know exactly how to react to that, but the stern face the two ninjas had talking was enough for the two teenagers to understand that there was reasons to worry.

Steven asked them to tell him about this man. When the ninjas had finished, he thought for a moment before asking if they thought Danzo was the kind of man to endangered Konoha by ambition. The Warrior duo hesitated a moment before Mitarashi said she doubted it. She described him as an extremely pragmatic and ambitious man, someone who did not like the methods of the Sandaime, which he considered weak, but who wanted Konoha to be a strong and powerful village. Hearing this, Steven gave the impression that this was not so important and affirmed.

"In that case it's just that he really think that something bad is coming. People like him are generally bastards but would not do anything that would put their country in danger for purely personal purposes… If you are sure he is like you described him. "

Kakashi and the snake lady looked each other for a moment ... then resigned. Hatake was not fully convinced, as he knew from experience how Danzo was dangerous, but he could not do much for the moment and it was possible that Steven was right somehow.

finaly, Steven said.

"Okay! Now that we can saw this informations as much as we want. Let's go. I'll tell you briefly what I read and after you can read them for details."

The Otaku chains seized the "Sokora Clan" folder. He opened it, read it a moment and then began to tell to his partners.

"From what I read, the Sokora clan is older than Konoha itself. They accepted to support the creation of the village in exchange of the guarantee that they would be the only rulers of their island."

Ria said.

"It's probably Arashishima, the island of the storm. That's where their home and small village are."

Steven continued.

"It is written that the power and reputation of the clan comes from their passion for experimentation with chakra. They would have discovered a lot of theories and interesting properties about it, while keeping mostly secret. According to this paper, and what you said a few days ago Ria, the Sokora are known for their Jutsus affecting space-time. One of them is called Munashii No Koutetsu, the Armor of the Void. This make them able to send the chakra that naturally comes out of their bodies to other places, usually the space void, so that no ninja can perceive it. "

Kakashi spoke, quite interested.

"I heard rumors about this jutsu... It's powerfull. Without chakra, there is no way besides the ordinary human senses to spot a ninja. And it also means that any attacks against them using chakra would be weak, or even completely uneffective. "

Anko clarified.

"Yes but that also means they can therefore not use chakra when they use this armor, even for basic techniques such as walking on walls or on the water."

Then Ria informed.

"This is why the Sokora are trained on many different taijutsu techniques... Do not underestimate them. In melee, they are extremely talented. They are training every day on martial arts and weapons training."

The two ninjas nodded to show that they understood. The Geek added.

"What worries me personally is that it is written that they would be able to use a Jutsu ... to create gaps to other places in the world ... A bit like in Portal I think."

The metalhead looked to his redheaded friend showing that he would like an explanation. She said, alas.

"I've never seen them use it unfortunately. According to Nozomi ..." Ria looked a little pained, thinking back to his deceased friend. "This is the most important and secret jutsu of their clan. The only one who can use it currently is his grandfather, Sokora Takeshi, the leader of the clan."

This name made everyone in the room frown. Ria finished adding.

"But there is no reason to worry about. If you're afraid that they use it to infiltrate the village, he told me that this jutsu consumes so much energy that an opening cannot last more than two minutes before completely exhausting his user. In addition, this causes chakra ... disruptions when it happens, if I understood well. "

Hatake concludes.

"This means that an opening would be discovered in an instant if it happened in the village. It is necessary that their destination is a place as isolated as possible."

"Precisely." Confirmed the girl with wooden beads.

Steven did not seem completely satisfied with this explanations, for a reason Ria couldn't understood and that he should explain to her in private. Despite this, he continued.

"Well ... The rest you already know it. Almost all of this clan disappeared during the last war, the clan leader get out slamming the door, and apparently they decided to ... say 'put some order 'in this world in their own way. A Way involving murder, manipulation and weapon trafic."

"With the help of the Professor Thomas Mitchell." Added the redhead in sweatshirt.

The Geek then glared at her saying.

"Maybe, but nothing says that he is the cause of all this. You said yourself not knowing from whom was the idea."

Ria seemed destabilized.

"Wait ..." she uttered. "You're not going to defend this guy isn't it?"

Steven told her with some resentment.

"Excuse me to not believe, like you, that the only person who supported me at school and was nice with me is an evil genius while you're not sure."

Ria clenched her fists. She was on the verge of exploding with rage. But she realized that the two ninjas were looking at them curiously. So she tried to relax, seeing the coming dispute, and told him hardly containing her anger.

"We'll talk about that later."

Anko wanted to know more but Kakashi gave her a negative nod meaning that it was not really the good time for this. The Sandaime, at a special assembly of ninjas, a few days ago, had told them about the Sokora's project and the weapons from a "far away country" manufactured by someone Mitchell, omitting of course everything about the Pandora and the travels among the worlds. This made them curious but the two strangers clearly didn't had the same opinion about him. If Mitarashi wanted answers, she would have to wait to see them alone.

Although annoyed by the tone that the redhead had taken, Steven just took another document and continue as if he had not listened.

"So, here is the identity file of Sokora Takeshi."

He read a moment before telling.

"Looks like this is not just an average person. He is a veteran of several wars and has known the Sandaime for a very long time. He is ... or at least was an authority figure among the clans of Konoha. Even the Uchiha had seemed to respect him looking at what they say there: Very smart, great archer, talented diplomat and a very good ninja ... He is now considered as a traitor, which makes sense ... It is written that his wife and son died during the last war and the only living member of his family is his granddaughter: Nijiko Sokora ".

The Geek searched a bit but didn't find many things about the young Sokora, except the most basic informations, a picture of her and that she was of fragile health. She was an adorable little girl, about the same age as Naruto. Her mild pale face, clear blue eyes and smooth black hair, which descended to the bottom of her neck, gave her the appearance of a fragile porcelain doll.

As for Nozomi, the Otaku did not find many things, the only interesting things he could see was that he was the nephew of Takeshi and what he looked like. He seemed to be friendly. His hair had an aerodynamic cut and his jovial smile, and his head tilted a little, showed a visibly relaxed and energetic attitude.

The Geek let the file about Sokora Takeshi on the table and began to read another one. He pronounced.

"Let's talk about... Sokora Genkishi."name word, the girl with the wooden beads seemed angrier than before, as he predicted. He knew that he had to talk about the man who killed Ria's friend. And he suspected that she would be particularly frustrated after telling her that this murderer was in the village, probably hidden somewhere, maybe already far away, but that she couldn't do anything to stop him right now. Steven had clearly told her he probably had a connection with Itachi's case, and that if she spoke about the Sokora, it might warn the people Itachi asked them to stop.

The young man with medallions looked at Genkishi's photo. It was indeed the same man he had seen earlier in the bar. His triangular face gave the impression that he was naturally cruel. And that was accentuated by the black paints and the two trios of vertical sharp sticks, drawn in the same color, which surrounded his eyes. His brown spiky hairs and beard were stylish, but the metalhead saw that he was definitely a dangerous person.

Steven began to read his file.

"From what I can read, he is not from Takeshi's family..."

Ria cut him saying.

"He was accepted into the clan by Takeshi when he was younger. He was a thief. When he was ten or twelve years old, he tried to fight Takeshi-san in the middle of a forest to steal his weapons and loose. Takeshi-san then took him under his wing, seeing his potential and learning he was nobody, he was just trying to survive. He never said where he came from. "

The young English arched an eyebrow with this presentation. The girl in black sweater pronounced.

"I can already tell you everything you want to know about this bastard. You don't need to read."

The Geek preferred to read the documents, to see what ninjas knew about Genkishi. But when he saw that there wasn't much more in the separate folder than what Ria told he offered her to continue. So she explained.

"Genkishi is an assassin. Literally. He was specialized in the techniques of assassination and use fluently the Munashii No Koutetsu and dozens of weapons, and a powerful taijutsu. Tsunade tried to smash him, it did almost nothing to him. "

This precision impressed Anko and intrigued Kakashi. They didn't need to learn much more to understand that he was a formidable opponent.

Rhiannon had nothing to add except that Genkishi was of a perfect loyalty to Takeshi-san. Steven put his ID file away and found something that scared him.

The Geek discovered the picture of a man with a scary expressionless face, his long white hairs held by a navy blue bandanna. Looking at this eyes in which bright the sparks of an implacable determination, which seemed very similar to Terminator's one, reminded an horrible memory to Steven: the day he almost died.

The partners of the teenager with medallions saw clearly his concern. But before they could ask him what was the problem, Steven answered and said.

"I have Eiko's file."

Anko frowned when she heard that name. She remembered well this ninja and his dog. She and Kakashi had been informed by the Hokage, like the others, that this man was a dangerous associate of the Sokora, but they said nothing more.

Steven seemed a bit surprised and worried reading the file of the man with alabaster hairs. He didn't seemed to know where to start, so he simply read what he has.

"It is written that the Uchiha added this file after the Inuzuka case. And they only discovered that he was from Kiri, the hidden village of the Mist."

This puzzled the two ninjas, they knew the rumors about the death battels that were practiced in this village when their children were going to become Genins.

Steven continued.

"Apparently it's a deserter. He left his village before his duel to become Genin. The person who wrote this file say that they found nothing about him concerning his activities before he was officially recognized as an agent of the Sokora clan, except a rumor ... "

But Ria cut him exclaiming.

"Wait! That would be the famous 'agent'?"

Steven gave her a puzzled look. She said, remembering.

"Oh yes, that's right. You don't know. In fact, when I was with the Sokora, I often heard about an agent that informed and do some job for them. I asked Nozomi-san who it was and he just told me to not try to find out, that he was someone Takeshi-san accepted into the clan recently and that it was better never cross his way. Mitchell said that there were little chance that I meet him actually and I did not need to know anything. "

Steven was not particularly surprised by this. When Eiko was in front of him, before trying to cut his throat and his dog biting him, he understood that it was a discreet and mysterious person. And given the particularly sullen look of Anko, she was thinking the same.

After a heavy puzzled silence, Kakashi intervened by questioning the foreigner with chains.

"You said there was a rumor Rai-san ... What is it?"

The geek looked back on the document. His gaze seemed concerned again, remembering what he read. Overwhelmed by memories of the emotionless killer, he had to make an effort to respond to the ninja.

"Well, actually ... The rumor claims that he killed a Jonin of Kiri and left right after."

"It's impressive for a young ninja, it's true." Commented the snake lady. "But it was not so strange for Kiri at that time."

"Yes, but it's not that simple ..." Continued the metalhead, with a knot in his stomach. "This Jonin was his Sensei, who would have made him become a Genin. Eiko met him, giving him a cup of tea and told him that if it was a Jonin like him who supervise the death battles, I quote: 'Logically you must be stronger than the other students. So if I kill you before, I should be automatically promoted Genin.' "

This information surprised everyone in the room, including Kakashi, who showed more concern than astonishment.

Steven continued.

"His Sensei told him that he would be considered as a traitor if he did that, because he was a superior. To which Eiko reportedly responded that this meant that this village was not the place he needed. This is where his Sensei died, poisoned by the tea Eiko had served him right before. "

This revelation shocked Mitarashi and Rhiannon. Kakashi showed a form of anger which showed that Steven had told what he feared to hear.

Apart from this 'rumor', Steven found nothing about Eiko in the file.

All they had learned from him, then, was that this man had a terrible intelligene and he had no mercy.

The more he learned about him, the more Steven feared this man with alabaster hairs.

The Uchiha case was only beginning ... And in the depths of his soul, Steven began to pray to not meet any of this Sokora in person.

* * *

^^ thank you for your loyalty and sorry for the wait.

I hope you'll still read my chapters.

I actually need a translator. Because I have less time to write because of school. With help, I'll be able to write the chapters faster. So if someone is interested, just contact me.

So write a little review so I know that you're still with us;-)

I hope to see you soon on the Facebook page; I remind you the name:

"Fanfiction Steven Ryan's Chronicles"

Otherwise we'll see in the next chapter of The Queen, the geek and the Princess ;-)

See you soon.

List of references: (I do not write the films on Ria's dialogue because they are clearly mentioned.)

Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls, Assassin's Creed, God of War, Dragonball, Big Bang Theory, Toy Story, Myst, Warehouse 13, Matrix, Star Wars, Grand Theft Auto V, Mass Effect, Portal, Terminator


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry everyone ^^'

School don't give me time to write and my French nature don't makes me write a perfectrly correct English :-P

Hope you'll have fun

Music:

_The Spirit Tree_ – Ori &amp; the blind forest OST

* * *

Chapter 16

_Steven Ryan's Journal_

From now on, I, Steven Ryan, will record and remember every strange images that come to my mind after I lose consciousness or fall asleep in this little book. I do not write the date to not think for a moment between the time I wake up and write my notes.

\- A red-haired woman doing archery in the Highlands (Ria thinks it is from the Disney-Pixar movie called "Brave")

\- An island with a rocket and strange buildings (Myst)

\- A giant warehouse full of historical artifacts with strange powers (Warehouse 13)

\- An English Steampunk-like city full of rats and sick people (Dishonored)

\- A bloody war between warriors in blue armor and insectoid monsters (Warhammer 40k)

* * *

_Konoha's Hospital_

_9 A.M_

Sitting on a bench, facing the medical establishment, Steven asked his friend, looking a little navy blue book.

"You're certain it will help to understand what's happening to me?"

"You can trust me, said the redhead, my father is a psychiatrist. He advised his patients to do this to make them try to remember their dreams. Even though I understood you don't think it was that."

The metalhead with a strand of hair looked for a moment to his notes, before storing them in the back pocket of his jeans. He concluded, adding.

"Well ... I still feel that I'm forgetting important things, even writing it. But if you're so sure ..."

"Completely. Declaring your intentions on a paper really helps on the subconscious level. It does not mean that you will remember everything perfectly the next time. But, gradually, you will remember more thing when you wake up ... if I understood what my father told me. And do not worry about the sensations of forgetfulness. We dream more than once during night then that's normal. "

Steven arched an eyebrow, slightly septic.

Then he finally said, smiling with gratitude over Ria.

"I do not see what it will change but ... It can be cool to have my own journal as in Pillars of Eternity." Steven smiled.

Ria smiled back. She didn't know what those notes could do, but, at least, she was helping Steven a little. He was reassured to be able to think about these "visions" with more elements. She also thought about giving him a few tips to relax before falling asleep. This story was worrying his companion and giving him a hand reassured her.

She asked to the metalhead with a Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls tee-shirt.

"So, about this Dragon Ball's theme evening yesterday, was Naruto happy?"

Steven then told, sneering, his fingers fiddling his Frostmourne medallion.

"You have no idea. He's almost on Step three: Doing the Kamehameha as the hero. He was so excited that I have thought I was going to told him Tokyo Ghoul to calm him down..."

Rihannon responded by punching the geek's left arm.

"Hey !" He responds "What did I do this time?"

"I have already warned you about what would happen if you scare him again."

"I was just kidding ..." Steven sighed, rubbing where she punched him. "And it's not as if I was thinking about Silent Hill."

Ria saw him massaging his arm and remembered what he said earlier. She asked.

"Your arm still feel cold?"

"It's just a little numb now. There must have been some wind tonight and I slept on it."

"Yet, it wasn't so cold I think..." mused the girl.

A female voice said.

"Do we bother you?"

The two strangers jumped, the geek put his hand to his heart. Then they discovered a pair of ninjas they knew well now.

Steven began to grumble.

"Was this Jumpscare necessary, Anko?"

The kunoichi replied with a slightly sadistic smile.

"What? You don't like surprises?"

"After Outlast, No!"

All moved to something else, knowing that a long discussion about Steven's references would lead to unnecessary complications.

Kakashi reported.

"We have the permission to look at Uchiha Shisui's body."

Steven was pleased, but he still wasn't comfortable with the idea of looking at a dead body at the morgue. But he had no choice if he wanted to find new clues. The autopsy report of Shisui Uchiha was vague about the cause of death. The report simply stated: Fatal injury on the victim's heart and back. For Steven, it was essential to discover more informations.

To see the body was a necessity according to him, even though he was quite disgusted by this, especially understanding what he would have to do if what he feared was true. He explained last night, to his colleagues, what he intended to do, but the need to seek permission to see the corpse had prevented them from coming earlier.

"Okay, let's go." Steven sighed, rising.

But while the motley group moved toward the hospital, Anko noticed a detail that made her call out to Steven.

"Hey! Where's your thing for the ears?"

Steven didn't understand what she meant.

"The strange object you put all the time in your ears..." Repeated the snake lady.

"My MP-3?" Understood the metalhead. "I left it at Naruto's apartment. It was completely powerless."

"How is it possible ?" Wondered the redhead. "You always make sure to have it on you."

"I must have fallen asleep and forget to turn it off last night. I was listening to 'The Spirit Tree', this is probably the reason." Said English. "It annoys me because, oddly, I really wanted to hear some Nightwish today."

Anko growled, shaking her fist to keep herself from smashing the nerd. Not that it wouldn't please her to exterminate him, but she was beginning to think that the more she would punish him, the more references he would use simply to annoy her.

They finally enter into the hospital and go down to the morgue. Along the way, they met another Uchiha with scars on his right cheek, the doctor who performed the Shisui's autopsy. He glared at the group.

"Are you those who come to see Shisui-san?" Inquired the lawyer suspiciously.

The Ninjas had explained to the strangers that the Uchiha, even if he was a doctor, would not appreciate, as the others of his clan, to see a stranger mingles with the murder of one of their own. And the white-haired warrior could understood why since he read the most important detail of the autopsy report. He wanted to see if it was true.

If this detail was confirmed, the case would be much more serious than Kakashi have thought. And, virtually, kind of personal.

"That's right." Anko replied. "We have permission ..."

"I know." Interrupted the Uchiha. "But frankly, I do not understand how Danzo Shimura could have given it to you."

Indeed, it wasn't fun for anybody in the team, but to see the body of the victim, Kakashi and Anko had to ask permission to Danzo Shimura. Because of that, they all had to wait until morning to get an answer, because he was absent much of the night for some reasons.

"It is me who usually take care of the Uchiha's member, dead or alive." Growled the doctor. "You even have my report. I do not see why you meddle with what concerns us."

Steven let Kakashi ask to the irritated doctor where the body was.

This one, despite his grumbling, pointed a room down the hall with his thumb, and the locker's number of Shisui. However, he clarified without an ounce of regret that they could not count on his help. The group left the refractory doctor behind and walked towards the door.

The Geek entered quite slowly in the cold room, his fingers playing with his pentacle medallion, with green emerald stones, and the Metallica logo. He wanted to finish quickly this horrible task but he was reluctant to see the body, especially if what he read in the autopsy report was true.

The group opened the locker containing Shisui's body. He was covered with two white cloths, one on the body to the neck, the other on the face of the victim.

Steven tensed seeing the veiled corpse. When he appeared before his eyes, the geek almost automatically had a slight nausea. His companions noticed this and, with sympathetic looks, despite the slightly pathetic side of this reaction, gave him a moment to recover.

Anko then offered him.

"You do not have to do it, or even look, you know. We can handle it."

But the geek with medallions didn't answered. His gaze was fixed on the unrevealed body.

As if he was trying to not think about the whole situation, Steven tried to focus on one action. He clenched his fists and asked Kakashi, with some tension in his voice.

"The autopsy report spoke of an injury on the heart, isn't it?"

The ninja confirmed with a nod. After which the young stranger raised his hand to grab the white cloth. He withdrew slightly and discovered the injury, a circular wound as big as a thumb.

At that moment, the eyes of the geek opened a little more and his heart began to beat much stronger. He took a deep breath that passed through his dry throat.

The shape of the injury reduced his list of assumptions about the murder, as he hoped. But, unfortunately, it also gave more credit to the less positive of them.

"Is it what you suspected?" Inquired the white-haired ninja.

"Yes ..." Confirmed Steven. "It's a gunshot wound."

The two ninjas frowned and stared at the injury with an anxious curiosity.

The amateur detective began to be nervous. He tried to hide it by saying in English to Ria.

"Could you pass me the tools Miss Palmer."

Anko and Kakashi, of course, didn't understand what he said. Ria also seemed disoriented. Then she understood his joke and replied, disappointed that he did not could find a better one.

"Seriously? NCIS?"

Steven gently shrugged with some kind of smile. The young Ashford saw that he was simply trying to look well. So she forgave the geek's bad joke and took out of her black sweatshirt some small objects: an iron rod and a protractor.

She gave it to Steven who, after a deep hesitation, and visibly disgusted, slowly inserted the stick into the wound. He was extremely slow, not only to avoid distorting his statement, but also because his mind was fighting to not stop and ask another one to do this. Once the metal stick entered several centimeters, Steven used the protractor to measure the shooting angle. He noted the values on a paper he had brought with him and gave it to Kakashi.

Steven's gaze lingered for a moment on the white cloth that hid the face of Shisui. The other group members did not understand what he had in mind at that time.

The geek had a frozen face. He put his hand on the white cloth. Ria, understanding what he was doing, tried to stop him. But she was not fast enough.

Steven rose slightly the veil. What he saw below him suddenly made his eyes widened before releasing the veil and turn around coughing, a hand over his mouth.

Rihannon ran to stand beside his friend and advised him anxiously, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down Steven ... Think about something else. Breathe deeply. Like me."

Ria inspired and expired regularly. Steven, with a vague expression on his face, did like her with difficulty. He was on the verge of vomiting.

The two ninjas witnessed it with indulgence. Kakashi looked under the fabric and raised his one visible eyebrow. Anko also seemed annoyed. What the autopsy report had said was true: Someone took Uchiha Shisui's eyes.

* * *

The group returned from the hospital. Steven had indicated that he really needed some fresh air.

While the geek, sitting on the bench, was finishing recovering from the shock he had, by playing Tetris on his Playstation Vita, Ria talked with the manga warriors.

"If this eyes are as powerful and valuable as you said, conjectured the redhead, the killer may be trying to sell them on the black market or something like that, right?"

"It's possible, tried Kakashi, but it is also possible that he's trying to transplant them. This is a huge advantage in battle."

The redhead with wooden beads thought about this, tweaking her triple moon necklace. She stopped by saying.

"I think you're right. My father once told me that you cannot keep an eye not transplanted a long time. The operation must take place very quickly."

"That depends on how the eyes iare stored." Anko intervened.

The English young girl cast a curious look at the kunoichi. The ninja explained.

"I do not know how it works for you, but here we have systems that preserve the organs to be transplanted longer. I think it uses chakra in a bizarre material, like play dough. It keeps them on good conditions a long time. It's new but already very effective. "

Despite his focused look on the colored bricks, Steven listened well to everything that was said. Kakashi added.

"By cons, it's hard to get them. It's very expensive so it is usually the doctors who receive this material after making the request to their village chief."

Ria was not reassured by this information. It actually multiplied the possibilities.

The Geek then explained, always looking at his game.

"According to the wound on his back, the bullet get clearly out. We'll need more informations."

He took his MyPhone Zeta out of his pocket and searched in his photos to read the reports the ninjas brought him yesterday. And while he was reading the Hasaki case's one, he asked Hatake and Mitarashi, without looking up from his cellphone.

"You know where the crime scene is? This' Valley of the End?"

"Everybody know this in the village." Confirmed the lady with snakes.

Steven gave to his ninja partners the iron rod and the protractor that he had used and cleaned before.

"The shooting angle is on the sheet I gave you. So use these objects to determine from where the shot came from, and so where the killer was, by placing yourself where the body was found."

Anko felt a little irritated instantly.

"Uh ... Why is it US who should do it?" Asked the kunoichi, angered by this new improvised hierarchy.

Steven said, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Because I'm sure it is far away and you can get there much faster without Ria and me. Our time is limited."

Steven tensed a little after saying that last sentence. That their time was running reminded him of the famous narrator and his prediction of the imminent end of this universe. The otaku hoped he wouldn't have to justify his words. That would make things too complicate.

But, fortunately for him, Anko simply took the equipment, growling. She probably made a parallel with the Inuzuka case, thinking it was indeed better to understand quickly before some ninja precipitates the case and start some trial.

Kakashi had a questioning look at the two strangers. Rihannon knew what he was thinking and said.

"We will return to Naruto-kun's house. He must be at the academy now, with Sasuke-kun. We will meet you there, thinking about on the case."

The ninja nodded and disappeared.

It was to Steven to growl.

"They could prevent when they do that. I almost missed a line there."

"You think it is time to complain?" Whispered the redhead. "It's not nice for those who are trying to help you. I did not plan to cancel my training with Tsunade because of your incredible ability to get in trouble."

Steven replied.

"And I can assure you that I absolutely didn't planned to experience a Shonen version of 'The Wolf Among Us'. I absolutely don't look like Bigby Wolf, even though I like wolves."

"You could at least cite the original comics rather than the game."

"Because you know Fables?"

"Yeah, my cousin gave me the first Volume. You didn't read it?"

"Of course I did, but I'm more a Gamer than a fan of comics. And yet, I prefer Shonen to Comics."

The girl with the triple moon's medallion sighed. Then she exclaimed with profound nervous exhaustion.

"You're such a big nerd."

"No sorry to disappoint you Cinderella."

Ria growled, raising a threatening fist, but not as terrible as her eyes, which intimidated Steven and that the formation of a beautiful color line on Tetris.

So he hurried to get up and walk, announcing.

"Uh ... Let's Go! We should think about the case. It is far from being over."

Ria still seemed angry, but eventually followed the geek. They did not realized that someone was observing them from the shadows.

* * *

_Konoha's Street_

_Fifteen minutes later_

A heavy silence had settled between the English teenagers as they walked in the village streets.

Ria didn't like this atmosphere. Although the street was full of life, notwithstanding a few curious looks from some villagers, it almost felt like there was a wall between her and her compatriot. And looking at his face down and how he was concentrated on his 3DS (because yes, he had switch console on the way) did not help much.

She cast a glance at his Phoenix Wright's game, in Japanese. When she could guess it was a quiet moment in the story, she tried to break the ice between them.

"Are you okay Steven?"

The Geek gave her a slightly surprised look before saying, hesitantly.

"Uh ... Yeah... Why?"

The redhead reminded him.

"You seemed on the verge of vomiting before."

Steven's fingers stopped strumming the buttons and some guilt seemed to form on his face.

Quickly, and a little annoyed, the girl spoke.

"Hey ... there's no shame to have. It's really horrible what happened to Shisui-san."

The metalhead still blamed himself a little. He knew that reality and games were two different things. But he believed that the gore elements he had seen all his years would have desensitized him a little. He was deluded, and blamed himself for it.

The young Ashford tried to continue the conversation.

"But tell me, what do you hope to discover with the shooting angle? The shape of the injury, I understand, but why that?"

The otaku with medallions began to play again, justifying.

"Depending on the angle from where the bullet come, and how is the place, we can approximately determine what kind of weapon was used. And according to this information, we might potentially know more about who the killer is reflecting on the people who had access to this kind of weapon. "

"But we know that it is the Sokora who use firearms, isn't it?"

"Yes. But it can also be one of their 'client'. We also need to think about who could have trapped Shisui-san. I do not think anyone could approach and fool a Uchiha like him so easily. With this informations, the list of suspects will be reduced. "

Ria thought about that. She was convinced that Genkishi was the murderer, and she had done everything to convince Steven yesterday. The geek admitted that it was a possibility. But it lacked too much information to accept this assumption for now. The English girl finally accepted his argument and continued.

"And what about the iron rod and the protractor? When did you get them? I cannot imagine you lugging that in your nerd's big bag to go camping."

Steven chuckled. He had to admit that it was pretty funny.

"I thought about it this morning." Explained the metalhead. "After I woke up, the arm completely frozen as you know, I was going to rub it under warm water in the bathroom. Because it's impossible to play without my left hand, I need it to move my avatar. Meanwhile, Naruto woke up and asked me to take him to the academy as promised. I did it after I prepared for him another ramen for breakfast. So, when I was getting back, I did some shopping because I can't handle ramen anymore. It was absolutely necessary that I take other kind of foods, otherwise I would have sway a box to him the next time he would have proposed to eat one. "

Ria did not find it funny. But that didn't bothered Steven because he was not even joking.

"At the store, I bought some basic stuff: fish, eggs and vegetables. And at one point I saw some basic school supplies. I said yesterday that if Shisui was killed by someone who knows the Sokora, he would have been shot by a gun. When I saw the protractor, I realized I could use it to know the shooting angle. More informations is always a good thing. "

"Really?" Asked the girl with wooden beads in her hair.

"Absolutely. The slightest missing information in the reasoning can cause doubt. And not being sure is the same as not really knowing..."

The redhead noticed something strange, the voice of the geek was more tensed.

"And there's nothing more frustrating than doubt ..." He added.

At this moment, the English girl saw that the geek with chains clasped his console so hard that his hands were slightly trembling. The girl in black sweat began to worry a little. Some dark aura was kind of emitted from the nerd.

Steven enunciated then, increasingly angry.

"Believe me, simply just two or three little secret informations kept secret can make you doubt about everything you thought you discovered, making you not sure about anything ... Like, FOR EXEMPLE in 'Five Night at Freddy's ..."

The tone full of frustration of the Gamer showed that it actually wasn't just an example. There was so much rage that he became scary. Ria could not however prevent him from continuing, she was too surprised by what was happening.

"Five night at Freddy's is a game series with an extremely well hidden scenario, which mysteries and challenge. A bargain for a gamer who loves solving mysteries hidden in the scenario."

The brown eyes were full of metalhead irritation. He seemed on the verge of exploding.

"But the story is also full of questions without clear answers. Which makes it awesome AND terribly frustrating."

The disciple of Tsunade began to move back anxiously.

"Except that mystery is good five minutes, but in the end some players need answers. They need some explanation, even a crazy one. So one of them, I will not say his name, searched on ALL the websites and forums about the game to analyze EVERY theories about the story. Then he sent a file of three hundred and seventy-eight pages to the game's creator himself to ask if he had managed to reveal the secrets of the game. He hoped this guy would have admitted that the reasoning of this player was flawless, or at least he would have said that he was wrong…"

Ria's eyes were wide with anxiety. Especially when the geek started speaking in English.

_"But NO ! This developer wanted to stay mysterious by sending as an answer, to his file and theory, a simple and stupid: 'Who knows'. This, rather than admit his defeat"_

The Gamer with chains shouted to the face of heaven with a frighteningly powerful voice, arms raised and his face marked with exasperation.

_"DAMN YOU SCOTT COWTHOOOON !"_

The geek's voice seemed to echo throughout the entire region.

The few villagers who stood in the street, at this moment, jumped with fear, hearing these strange words full of a horrible rage.

One child even hid behind his mother as she was afraid.

The girl in black sweatshirt remained frozen for a moment, doubtful about this new Steven who seemed more threatening than a rabid lion. The soul reaper on his Diablo's shirt did not seem to be just a decoration now.

"Uh ... Steven?" The girl tried. "Are you okay?"

The big upset boy seemed to realize what he had done. He relaxed almost immediately and cleared his throat before standing up straight as if nothing had happened. He then begged her pardon with a voice that did not seem to have any kind of guilt.

"Excuse me. I tend to scream when it comes to this subject. The professor told me this too."

"You mean Professor Scott?"

"No, Mitchell."

It was the turn of Ria to be drawn tight. She really did not like to talk about this malicious person. But she saw Steven, he had no trouble doing so.

"Why do you defend him so much?" Inquired the redhead, wanting to know why she could not convince him to hate Mitchell.

The Geek replied with some annoyance.

"What? You do not appreciate that I think you do not know everything about the others and their true motivations?"

Ria was very close to punch him in the face. She would have if she didn't know that it would have made him faint. And it would have made her wait to hear his response.

"Answer me." Firmly insisted the angry British girl.

Steven, raising his eyes from his 3DS, saw in her eyes that she would not let it go so easily. He looked thoughtful for a moment. Then finally the Gamer with medallions sighed a big blow before resigning, switching off his console.

"Whenever you describe him as a monster who intend to reduce this world to ashes ... I cannot imagine him like that. Not for a second."

The otaku hesitated a few seconds before continuing.

"You know how much I did not get on with the others ..." The English girl would have been hypocritical to pretend otherwise. "Well ... I spent some time talking with Mitchell at school. He was very good at re-explaining what I didn't understand in his classes. Then I discovered that he also liked science fiction. We could talk about a lot of things together. And not just to say that such invention or discovery was cool, but also to discuss the implications of some of them. For once, I could really talk about what I like and other interesting things at the same time with someone more mature. "

The disciple of Tsunade began to understand.

"It was good discussions. I talked with him about Iron Man and Metal Gear Solid and he was really interested ... It was good."

Steven's face seemed to don a nostalgic veil. Rihannon was not sure of why these moments with Mitchell were so valuable to him, but his instinct made her understand that this was a sensitive issue and, suddenly, it justified why the geek had difficulties with questioning his trust in this man that she knew more closely.

She had to admit: she wasn't going to convince Steven like that. And maybe she didn't knew Mitchell as well as she thought, if what the Gamer said was true. It would need more than words to make him change his mind and see what she saw in the teacher the past six months. But she realized that she never knew the famous scientist as Steven did.

The girl knew that none of them seemed able to see the 'Mitchell' picture as a whole.

The Gamer with the Vessalius strand suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to his feisty friend, as they turned at an intersection, and asked.

"You said that Mitchell could not use the Pandora to enter directly into the village. Are you sure? This could be a vital information."

The disciple of Tsunade remembered having actually said something like that, but without going into details. She thought for a moment to find the correct words to say, because she did not herself understood the scientific gibberish of his former instructor, then began to explain.

"Actually the Pandora cannot get to a point from one universe to another without coordinates. Mitchell could join the domain because Sokora Takeshi served as some kind of marker to a specific location. The professor needed months to adjust the box in a way that she could remember the exact coordinates of Takeshi's meditation room. And Mitchell made sure that the box automatically retain the informations about where she left our world, but without knowing how. He's groping for the correct settings more or less. "

"But it can go from anywhere on Earth isn't it? I mean… our home world."

"Yes, because that's where we come from, this is our home world, as you say, and therefore of the box also. It is preconfigured on our planet and therefore can more easily remember the 'coordinates' of a place there. In this world, it's different, because it's a whole different universe. There're common traits according to Mitchell, for example the fact that there's four dimensions: The X, Y and Z axes and the time itself. But things in the space-time continuum, if I correctly remember the terms he used, are not to the same coordinated. "

"I think I begin to understand." Steven reacts. "The Pandora knows how to locate in our universe because she knows how everything are organized, but for another, you need more informations."

"Basically, yes. The machine needs a way to know where the XYZ axes of another universe are and what places are livable. Without contact with Takeshi Sokora or the meditation room, he would not be able to come into this world. One mistake and he may appear thousands of light years from here. "

The Geek seemed quite incredulous. The English girl asked.

"Uh ... Did you understood everything?"

"Oh yes, don't worry." Reassured the geek. "I have seen much more complicated explanations in Hunter x Hunter. I'm used to this."

"Alright ... In summary, he has yet to find a mathematical model to identify the variations of the space-time continuums. And he would like to find a way to enhance the power of the box. He's trying to reduce the recharging period of the box and improve its area of action. But when I fled, several days ago, he did not seemed close to find how to do any of this. "

Steven shook his head as they finally arrived at Naruto's apartment.

The Geek opened the door and held it by standing on the side, gazing at the young redhead with wooden beads in her hair. Rihannon didn't understood what he was doing. After five seconds of silence, and both of them looking a little lost, the redhead finally understood and exclaimed with surprises.

"You're holding the door for me? Seriously? I never would have believed you were some kind of Gentleman."

This exclamation, quite amused, caused discomfort to the otaku. He merely turned his gaze growling.

"So what? It's not because I act like a geek that you know everything about me. And if it bothers you, I can very well not do that anymore. It was just a reflex ..."

Ria interrupted, laughing.

"Calm down. I'm not making fun of you."

She felt it was better to move on and just entered in the little hero's house, smiling.

When she did it, the boy followed her and couldn't see very well. The curtains were all closed, everything was in the dark. He pressed the switch on, but the light didn't work.

"What is ..." Said the surprised redhead. "A power outage?"

In the darkness, some sunrays passed between the curtains, which allowed Steven to see behind her friend an arm and a metallic sheen.

Surprised, the Gamer with a strand inhaled, wide-eyed. And as under the influence of an unknown reflex, the girl turned, stepping aside. She avoided a blade.

She barely had time to turn her head to see the attacker, a blow struck her face, projecting her to the ground.

Steven stood frozen, the heart pounding and panic in his eyes. The assassin looked for a moment the frightened geek. There were scars on the cheek of the unknown ninja. The latter then took a strange elongated object that Steven recognized immediately.

But the metalhead with chains barely had time to see it that his attacker pulled the trigger. The young man felt two bites, then his body was shaken by powerful spasm.

Steven collapsed on the floor and very quickly lose consciousness.

Before fainting, his eyes saw someone pouncing on the ninja, pinning him to the ground.

_He saw a little girl with hair as bright as the sun._

* * *

_Several hours later_

Steven felt numb. And yet, he had the impression of having slept rather well. He wanted to take a moment to relax, enjoying this feeling of peace, but he remembered what happened to him. He stood up suddenly, eyes wide open and completely panicking.

The moment he did this, a voice he knew said reassuringly.

"Calm down Ray-san. Everything's alright."

The otaku recognized Mitarashi. And when he realized there was indeed no more danger, he began to breathe calmly. He did not recognize the room where he was. It was obviously an apartment, but in which he had never been before. Looking around, he saw a clock showing it was early afternoon.

Guessing his disorientation, the kunoichi explained.

"You're at my home. Hatake-san and I have brought you here for security reasons."

The young man relaxed. He sighed a big shot while the ninja inquired, voice devoid of his usual mocking tone.

"How do you feel?"

The Londoner rubbed his neck, muttering.

"As if Cole MacGrath attacked me. I have a headache again ..."

Then the foreigner remembered her friend with the moon medallion and quickly asked Anko.

"What happened? Where is Ria?"

"In the other room." Indicated the ninja with snakes. "Can you walk?"

The geek needed to make an effort but he managed to get up. After that, he followed Anko in the lounge.

The stranger was reassured to see Ria and Kakashi. The warrior seemed giving some advices to the girl about her posture as she was clutching a kunai in her right hand. When she saw her friend coming, she took a normal posture and smiled.

The metalhead sat, moaning a little, at a table where old boxes of dangos and hot tea were arranged. His colleagues did the same. The young man with a strand tried to take one of the rice balls but was hit on the hand by a growling Anko.

"Hands off."

"Are you kidding me?" Growled back the angry geek. "I just received an electric shock. And I'm not your dog!"

"Oh, poor baby." Pronounced sarcastically the kunoichi. "You can take as much tea as you want but do not touch my dangos."

The teenager with the Reaper of soul tee shirt growled once again. Then he sighed and took a cup of tea by asking to the others what happened. Kakashi answered.

"After our separation, Mitarashi-san and I investigated where Shisui-san died."

Anko showed the iron rod.

"With the position were the body was found, the angle of the injury and what Ria-san told us about the weapons from your country, the killer had to be on the other side of the ravine."

The redhead suggested.

"It was definitely a Sniper. Tsunade-Sensei was almost killed by one of these weapons. This is the evidence that it was the Sokora who killed him."

Steven did not seem so surprised. After all he had seen, during the last months, he had begun to get used to certain things. Guessing that the redhead was already thinking about Genkishi as the culprit, the otaku corrected the English young girl.

"No, it means that the culprit is linked to the Sokora. It's different. And then?"

Anko said.

"We returned to Naruto's apartment and discovered Ria-san watching a man tied up."

The Geek clearly remembered this ninja. He looked toward the redhead and asked the question.

"It is the Uchiha doctor from this morning, isn't it?"

The three stooges confirmed a nod.

Ria explained.

"After he attacked me, I jumped on him and used a technique, which Tsunade-Sensei taught me, to make him lose consciousness. Normally he would have been able to resist it, it's a trained ninja after all, but he did not expect that a young foreigner like me could know how to fight. He was caught off guard. It gave me time to disarm him and tie him up with some fabric. "

Kakashi continued.

"It would not have resist a long time but, when he woke up, Ria threatened him with his kunai. It kept him quiet. When we arrived, we brought the suspect to question him and we brought you here. He is well attached in the closet. "

Steven sipped his tea thoughtfully. He then asked the question that he could not avoid.

"He attacked me with a TAZER, huh?"

Ria confirmed taking out, from the pocket of her black sweatshirt, the elongate object which had stunned the Gamer with chains.

Steven watched closely to confirm what he already suspected: it was the same model as those TAZER found during the Inuzuka case.

He then assumed.

"I guess you've already asked him."

"Not yet." Informed Anko. "He woke up were not not very cooperative, if you know what I mean. We had to knock him out again. He's always asleep for now. He will not go away. "

"If a Uchiha is involved, those who killed Shisui-san must be influential." Hatake stated. "This is not good. This is perhaps the murderer even. As the official doctor of the clan, he was in position to have all the necessary information."

"But how could he get a Sniper?" Ria thought. "He would have bought it to Gaku Inuzuka before you had stopped him?"

"It has to ..." Thought the white haired ninja. "Unless there is another supplier, all convoys entering the village are inspected thoroughly. Nothing alien can escape the guard's vigilance."

The Gamer was not looking at his comrades. He seemed completely lost in thought. His eyes were looking at nothing in particular, like passing from an imaginary gnat to another one, while his fingers were playing with his Frostmourne medallion, his Metallica logo and the pentacle with emerald green stones.

Yet, he listened to every words spoken around him.

Hatake was looking at the traveler with the Vessalius strand with the same expressed curiosity than, the girl with wooden beads. The moment she wanted to call her friend, Anko dissuaded her with a hand gesture, the eyes on the geek. The kunoichi was beginning to know that they should not interrupt this strange teenager when he was thinking. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but she knew that it would change everything.

And she was right. The young boy with chains was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

He then took out his MyPhone-Zeta from his pocket and searched what seemed to be a crucial element. Obviously not understanding what he was doing, Kakashi and the snake lady cast a curious glance.

Without looking up from his camera, the geek finally asked.

"Anko ... What can you tell me about Gaku Inuzuka's interrogation?"

"Why?" Inquired the ninja.

"I am rereading Itachi-san's report about the Hasaki case, the investigation about the sale of the weapon that threatened Naruto. Gaku-san was not the primary suspect. He said it could have probably been someone 'important' from a clan. So, what do you know? "

Anko tried to remember before explaining.

"All I know is that he was questioned by the village police after it seized his stock of foreign weapons."

"So by the Uchiha ..." Note Kakashi.

"After that, Anko continued, he didn't say anything interesting. Only confirmations about things we already suspected."

Steven seemed deeply thoughtful.

He raised his thumb.

Then his index.

Then his finger.

And that's when his eyes widened as if he had just discovered the most well-kept secret of the series Lost.

To the surprise of everyone, the Gamer suddenly got up from his chair and declared forcefully.

"We need to see the Hokage! Immediately!"

Nobody knew what to replicate to this. Even less when the teenager ran to the door.

"But ... Wait!" Anko screamed, on his heels. "What about our prisoner?"

"If I could wait during the intro of Half-life, he may wait a little while!"

The group of Hatake Kakashi, Anko Mitarashi, Rihannon Ashford and Steven Ryan therefore began to run on the streets of the village hidden in the leaves, under the gaze of a tile shirt man posted on a roof... for a few minutes.

* * *

_Hokage's office_

_Later_

The old Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting at his desk, was mentally beginning to curse the Fourth Hokage to his death. Because of him, he was stuck with a mountain of paperwork with which he had to fight.

But he stopped writing, with a puzzled relief when he heard someone knocking on the door of his office. He dropped the paper he was reading and allowed to enter. He was very surprised to see the new disciple of Tsunade accompanied by Hatake Kakashi and the Dango eater. The last looking very angry, ready to explode while dragging a strange mass behind her.

"Well ..." Hesitated the Hokage. "This is a band I would have never expect to see. Is there a problem?"

The kunoichi began to growl menacingly and said, tossing violently to the ground before her, in a huge crash, the dead weight she was dragging.

"Ask to that numpty!"

Sarutobi discovered the body panting and dripping with sweat of Steven Ryan, with his tongue out, almost on the verge of death.

Anticipating the question of the ninja leader, Ria explained grumbling.

"He ran longer than usual. Result: we were forced drag him half of the way."

The Hokage seemed very confused but eventually cleared his throat, resuming his air of confidence.

"Uh ... I see." He continued. "But why did you want to see me finally?"

"We'll know it when he'll catch his breath ..." Informed Kakashi.

"He didn't even explained what he hoped to do." Anko added. "Next time he do something like that, I swear that I let him on the ground."

When, finally, Steven recovered enough breath to get up, he stood up difficulty, still panting a little, and sat down on the chair facing the Hokage. Between two breaths, he said.

"Let me ... be ... blunt ..." He took a deep breath, wiping his forehead. "We are investigating Uchiha Itachi's case."

The Hokage did not seem so surprised. Or, if he was, he didn't show it.

"I see." He accepted. "It's a delicate matter. And working on it without my support was very risky, you know it ?"

"I'll explain everything ... to you." Steven announced, pulling a folded paper from his pocket.

After that, Steven explained all that happened since yesterday, obviously omitting anything concerning the Narrator: The demand of Sasuke, Itachi's letter, the strange man at the bar, Kakashi, etc ... It was the help provided by Danzo that most intrigued the Hokage. But with all the informations that the group of investigators shared with him, the Sandaime had no time to think about it for now.

When the otaku ended his story. The Hokage took a moment to think about all this before questioning the Londoner.

"So ... if I understand correctly, you trust me Rai-san. Itachi-san himself told you to not talk to me, except as a last resort, and there you are."

"I never really suspected you." Steven admitted. "But I preferred to remain cautious. I learned that this world is full of secrets."

The determined but quiet members of the group showed by their looks that Steven wasn't wrong. His approach was reasonable, especially knowing that he didn't had an incorrect view of their world.

Sarutobi asked to the foreigner.

"So, you are here to tell me who murdered Itachi?"

The looks of Anko, Ria and Hatake were all on the geek with chains. He replied.

"Unfortunately, no."

It surprised the snake lady.

"But, according to the answer of the question I want to ask you, I can determine where to continue the investigation."

The Hokage frowned, visibly ready to hear what Steven was going to say.

The otaku asked in one breath.

"Was Itachi-san spying on the Uchiha for you?"

The Hokage hid his astonishment the best he could. Anko did not succeeded at all. Kakashi seemed more intrigued and annoyed than surprised. The young redhead knew the answer, but she seemed intrigued by the fact that it was this matter that could make Steven understand everything in this case. She also knew that Steven, who did not read the manga, was unaware about the details of Itachi's life. She could have told him if he had shared his thoughts with her and were less impulsive. But she had also never thought about that detail, in the middle of all the information she had garnered by reading the adventures of Naruto.

The Sandaime looked at the young man in the eyes.

"You know that nothing obliges me to answer this potentially ludicrous question." Said the old ninja.

"Yes I know." Confirmed the geek. "But it's one of the missing pieces of the truth. If you do not answer me, we will all be deadlocked. And the people who trapped Itachi will be free to do what they want in the end. "

The Hokage remained silent, eyes still on the Londoner with chains. He uttered nothing for a while. But he was more determined than ever. He knew that the future of the world, literally, depended on this moment.

Finally, the Sandaime sighed, supporting his head with one hand.

"Geez ..." he huffed. "You are a real source of complications."

The other two ninjas in the room seemed surprised by this.

Steven replied.

"Is that a yes?"

"Let's suppose it is a yes ..." insinuated the old man. "What would that mean exactly?"

Steven did not beat about the bush.

"This means that those responsible for killing Shisui-san, and therefore those who conspire against Konoha by allying with the Sokora, are none other than the Uchiha themselves."

This time, even Kakashi could not his his bewilderment. Anko seemed about to lose her jaw and the Hokage seemed worse than ever.

"Your accusations are extremely serious Rai-san. You better explain by what reasoning you've reached that conclusion."

Steven did not seem shaken by the serious tone of the Sandaime. He just started his argument. The Geek raised his first finger.

"Firstly: The Uchiha in charge of the autopsy was very evasive in his report and did not report the strangeness of Shisui-san's injury, in addition to having assaulted us with a TAZER. Itachi suspected an important person to be part of the weapon trafficking. He was suspecting an important clan's member. The Uchiha doctor either took the TAZER in person, and he is not important enough to bring weapons without being inspected at the village entrance, or from Gaku and he wouldn't have done business with an Uchiha. It would have been too big of a risk. Therefore, for this TAZER, the doctor must have access to weapons seized during the Inuzuka case. And they are under the Uchiha's surveillance. This clan has contacts, travel opportunities for Trafficking and enough soldiers. All this explains a rapid action, otherwise they would have need time to resupply weapons. "

The Hokage intervened.

"Unless it is the Sokora themselves who intervened."

The Londoner with black shirt clarified.

"I'll just explain you why there's little chance that it was simply a Sokora's intervention."

Steven raised a second finger pursuing.

"Secondly: If the Sokora wanted to attack the Uchiha, why risk putting them on the alert by killing Shisui-san rather than, for example, their leader, or even all valid targets simultaneously, since they are one of the most powerful clans in the village? Because they targeted a specific Uchiha. They did not target the entire clan. Why would they do that? It does not make sense. If we have a way to destabilize an entire enemy group, why attacking one person, certainly potentially powerful, but not so important? Which leads to the third question. "

The otaku showed a third finger.

"Thirdly: Why indirectly attacking Uchiha Itachi? They could have make other persons suspicious, such as, again, the head of the clan, but they attacked Itachi-san. Why? Because he was spying on an ally of the Sokora, it's the only logical explanation: They could have destabilize the clan but did not. And Itachi was spying on your behalf. He seemed to trust you more, the Hokage, than the members of his own clan, judging by his letter. It's a sign. So you're in better relation with him than his own clan leader. Which means distrust. Thus, if someone learned that Itachi-san was doing that, who had good reason to eliminate him? Only someone who wanted to, let's say, protect the interests of the clan more than those of the Hokage. Someone who's then, at a minimum, use weapons from the Sokora or, at worst, is their ally. It may even be the Uchiha themselves who shot Shisui. They had access to his stuffs and opportunities to give him the message that led him to his death at any time. "

Steven finally lowered his hand, concluding.

"All this leads us to the following conclusion: The Uchiha, or at least a member of the clan, powerful enough to use their resources, caused the murder of Shisui-san to stop Uchiha Itachi because of some direct partnership with Sokora."

The room went silent. Hatake seemed to be worked up. The kunoichi looked bewildered. Rihannon, less, in light of what she had read in the manga.

The Sandaime, fingers crossed before him, was frowning with an almost menacing air.

After a moment, which seemed terribly long, the Hokage growled, rubbing his face with one hand.

"How could have things degenerate to this point?" He muttered.

"I'll tell you." Delivered a new voice.

The whole assembly turned to the office entrance. The Hokage's eyes widened discovering what happened. The person covered with bandages that lay before the door took everyone off guard, especially because nobody had heard him coming while they were focused on Steven's explanations.

Danzo Shimura, the face as frozen as usual, said with strength.

"Your kindness and idealism have left the field empty for the rebels to prepare. I warned you a long time ago that they would attack us at the first opportunity. And now they are allied with an enemy of the village. "

Nobody knew how to answer to that. And the Sandaime begun to seem on the verge of panic.

Steven, as surprised as the others, get up from his chair saying.

"Wait! We only know that a potential Uchiha clan's member is suspect. Nothing tells us that it is a collective action. This may be an isolated action like for Inuzuka Gaku ..."

"It's useless Rai-san ..." the Hokage said with an anger that was not directed against the geek. "The real culprit is not his problem. What he expected, by helping you, was that you indicate the Uchiha clan as a danger."

Steven, befuddled stammered.

"I ... I'm not sure to understand."

Kakashi explained more clearly.

"He also suspected the Uchiha, probably because he was aware that Itachi-san was a spy. Then he suspected that he was under watch. So he used us to discreetly find evidence that would justify what he had desired for a long time. A brutal action against the Uchiha."

"The enemies of the village must be eliminated." Cut Danzo. "There is no time to negotiate."

The manipulative ninja turned and announced.

"I'll call my best men. Once they are gathered, we will stop the Uchiha. The evidence we have are sufficient to make the counsel support us after the arrests. Hopefully, Sarutobi-san, you'll have the presence of mind to be present at this moment. Any objection to our operation would be seen as a form of betrayal. "

Then he got out, closing the door. Leaving a stunned and angry group behind him.

Very puzzled, Steven asked.

"Wh ... what happened?"

"You do not understand Baka!" Anko screamed. "He used us. It was a damn trap!"

* * *

_Thomas Mitchell's Journal_

_Report No. 195_

The experiment was a success!

A triumph!

I need to write it while it's still fresh in my head.

When I think about all that we did since my arrival...

It is more than a year since I started coming to this world ... I have to admit that it seemed much longer. Managing my life here and my teacher duties ... I more than once desired to leave this job to concentrate on my projects, including _Olympus_. But I would have attracted suspicion arriving to finance a home without an official salary. Even if I had paid some expenses with Sokora's gold. Once, I would could have given an excuse, but every week ... It would have been suspect. And that would have slowed our operations if I had become a financial burden for Takeshi.

Whatever. All this will soon be ancient history.

I do not know what causes these strange energy fluctuations into the Pandora. But whatever it is, I express my full gratitude to it. Since it started, six months ago, my work has only progressed into the right direction. This things travel from this world to others through the Pandora. I even could see that the box uses more energy than before.

This gadget, a subtle mix of technology of my own and secrets from Takeshi, can produce continuously power by itself. But since these changes have begun, the recharging time of the device increased by five percent. Meaning that it is somehow constantly "open" on the other universes. Is this thing permanently connected to the Pandora and the other worlds? Is it some kind of amazing network? I don't know. But it is clearly, let's say, traveling without closing the door.

I talked with Takeshi about that. He was really surprised and intrigued. He actually felt some strange chakra. He searched into the secrets of his clan, those which I have not access yet. But, unfortunately, he found nothing. This is a category Chakra he never seen before.

The only thing I am certain about is that the box is used to cover every possible location of every conceivable universes (And it would need a catastrophe to turn it off even for a second). Thus, there is no way to know from where this flow comes from in this world, as it can go from anywhere to anywhere. The dimension's borders literally doesn't exist anymore for this thing. However, it is possible to observe more or less its "trajectory". Thus I could observe its movements and find permanent features. I then established a mathematical model that simplifies the data that resulted and produce coordinates.

I then took a huge risk. I decided to take a trip to another world with the coordinates that I could discover from observing this energy. I didn't told it to the Takeshi-san because he would have disapproved, given the risk of not seeing me anymore for one reason or another. But it was an unexpected opportunity, a giant step to the success of our project. And there was no way he would have let me use the Pandora for such a risky thing. So it was clear that Takeshi would have simply refused that experiment.

So I used the coordinates this night, then activated the Pandora.

In less than a second, I found myself several meters above the sea. I hardly had time to get out of the water that I discovered I was in the middle of a city that seemed like the Victorian London. But it was full of vermin and machines using luminescent cylinders. I had to hide a few hours, until the box was recharged. It seemed to me that the posters on the walls of this capital of pestilence indicated the name of Dunwall. When it was possible, I returned to my original coordinates.

That's wonderful!

I immediately explained everything to Takeshi. His bewilderment stopped any of his desires to be angry.

It will take time for the coordinate system to be fully developed, but it is possible now. And I already have ideas for increasing the power of the Pandora thanks to the strange metal Takeshi finally agreed to show me. Its properties are elusive but potentially incredible. What else could I expect? The secrets of the Sokora clan are always amazing.

I did well not speaking about all my discoveries to Miss Rhiannon Ashford. I suspected she was not very excited about what we were doing ... But to give us such a stab in the back ... At least she knows almost nothing about my discoveries, particularly the _Olympus_ project.

I need to go back to work unfortunately. After all that, reading teenager exams will seem pathetic. But just a little more and I will finally be able to leave this ridiculous school.

But first I need find a moment to re-discuss about this with Takeshi-san. He's ready to go into battle since he said he spotted movements on the coast. Genkishi and Eiko didn't get back yet. But Takeshi has a plan in case they do not return on time. No reason to worry then.

When I'll speak about this to Richard, he will be really thrilled.

We will drink to this wandering and mysterious thing's health for having help us doing such progresses.

* * *

Again thank you for your patience and loyalty

See you soon on "The Queen, the geek and the princess." ;-)

List of References :

Pillars of Eternity, Dragon Ball, Tokyo Ghoul, Silent Hill, Outlast, Ori &amp; the Blind Forest, NCIS, Tetris, The Wolf Among Us, Fables, Phoenix Wright, Five night at Freddy's (and its creator Scott Cowthon), Bioshock Infinite, Hunter x Hunter, Tangled, Infamous, Lost, Half-Life, Dishonored


	17. Chapter 17

Music:

Runaway - Hail The Villain

* * *

Chapter 17

_He saw a world which was in the hands of the deceased, where a mythical fire was dying._

_Steven had to run. Really fast. He was seeing nothing in the darkness but he had to continue. He had to reach the small light before the darkness completely digest it. He fled so fast that his legs were going to abandon him really soon. But it was only pain, and not the worst kind he has ever felt. He had to escape this nauseating jazz that was contaminating his mind, and this cold that was toring his heart._

_He reached the door under which was passing the only light of this corrosive universe. The entrance was made of old wood with peeling paint, but it was really solid. Steven opened the door and closed it behind him in a powerful slam._

_The music could still be heard from behind the wood, but it was weak now, barely audible. It was the best he could hope for. The young man saw a large fire pit in the middle of the room. Was it a temple? An ancient palace? The fire did not light enough to be sure. The exhibited works were largely blacked out._

_He saw a woman in purple armor amid ruins and modern flying warriors._

_The young man walked up to the flame, passing between sculptures white like Vatican's marbles. He walked around the bear half white half black, the Martian captain, the fallen star-woman... Each impressed by its posture, impressiveness or beauty..._

_Then the young man stopped in front of a statue more humble than the others. The one in front of the life-saving fire. It was an old man sitting on a bench, with a tranquil face and both hands on a cane. A silver badge was planted in the heart of the sculpture. A badge, as bright as a mirror, on which were written the words 'Metropolitan Police'._

_Steven could almost see it._

_The young man stood for a moment contemplating the character. Then he sat respectfully beside him, his eyes now lost on the flames._

_Its heat was a benefactress smooth cover for the lost boy. The light became increasingly bright white. Then he became blind._

* * *

Steven had the impression to be like a ship tossed about by a hurricane. Befuddled, he ignored the slight migraine crushing his brain and woke up to find out what kind of storm could shake him like this. He was not surprised at all when he opened his eyes.

"At last!" Growled a little boy. "I thought you would never wake up!"

The metalhead thought he would have preferred that to be the case. He mumbled a bit by observing the little blond child with a grumpy face.

"I'll be late to the Academy if you do not hurry. You promised to accompany me today."

Indeed, the Gamer said that to Naruto last night, before sleeping. Convinced he wouldn't have so much time before the end, he wanted to do something that would please the young ninja to please him. A promise he knew he would keep if he had a chance.

The Geek murmured languidly.

"Ok ... I'm awake... go prepare the breakfast."

The blonde tornado smiled innocently and ran to the kitchen. The teenager got out of his sleeping bag, gently rubbing his eyes. He then turned to the blue book, posed casually over his pendants box. He saw no more reasons to follow the advice of his friend Ria. But since he had no real reasons not to do it anymore, he finally took the book, then a pen and added a line to his short list.

* * *

_Steven Ryan's Journal_

_From now on, I, Steven Ryan, will record and remember every strange images that come to my mind after I lose consciousness or fall asleep in this little book. I do not write the date to not think for a moment between the time I wake up and write my notes._

_\- A red-haired woman doing archery in the Highlands (Ria thinks it is from the Disney-Pixar movie called "Brave")_

_\- An island with a rocket and strange buildings (Myst)_

_\- A giant warehouse full of historical artifacts with strange powers (Warehouse 13)_

_\- An English Steampunk-like city full of rats and sick people (Dishonored)_

_\- A bloody war between warriors in blue armor and insectoid monsters (Warhammer 40,000)_

_\- A little girl with very long hair strangely emitting light. (The Disney movie Tangled)_

_\- A world full of undead with a sacred fire extinguishing. (Dark Souls)_

* * *

After closing the book, and carelessly thrown into a corner, Steven donned his black T-shirt emblazoned with a stylized samurai, before putting on his neck a pentacle with orange stones, its Assassin's symbol and a mini silver sonic screwdriver, adorned with a green stone. He had to struggle a bit with the chains of his jeans to untangle.

He dressed his little strand before calmly eating a fruit with Naruto. He bought what was necessary to offer him a decent meal instead of ramen, despite the protests of the little hero. After that, they went to the ninja Academy of the village. The child had a bright smile. The English boy had a gloomy air. Anyone paying attention to the teenager would have believe he had suffered the biggest disappointment of his life. And they would have been right.

Once close to the school, Naruto stopped. Steven saw by his thoughtful and worried eyes that he was reluctant to go there. The boy had told to the gamer about people watching him from afar with stern faces. Mainly adults, parents or soldiers. Steven sighed and gently rubbed the blond head of the child-ninja. The latter looked up to the metalhead who explained.

"Pay no attention to them. I know it's hard but you're a good boy. No matter what they say."

The future hero seemed surprised, but he passed quickly to a more confident face, showing a soft form of recognition, before running to join other children. Especially the young Inuzuka and Tenten, the noodles launcher. Seeing the geek in the distance, the latter greeted him vigorously. The boy with red marks and his dog did the same, but with less energy. Steven suspected they were still saddened by the Inuzuka case. He greeted them in turn before seeing them go to class.

The depressed English boy stood for a moment there, lost in thought. Some adults looked at him with astonishment, muttering mostly indistinct things to their neighbors, but certainly worried or unflattering. Steven heard a few words like 'weird' or 'demon child', but the geek was not really paying attention now.

He eventually retraced his steps, following the blocks to the apartment where he came from. The only thing he wanted at that moment was to go back to sleep. Sleep and wait.

But midway, he perceived a voice calling out vigorously.

"Steven!"

The otaku gently turned his head towards the source and discovered his partner with wooden beads. He had not seen her since last night, when he brutally separated from his investigation group.

The girl stopped in front of his compatriot and declared, by taking a little breath.

"There you are. Where the hell have you been?"

The face of the geek remained dull as a gray day.

"You were looking for me?" He asked weakly.

"Of course. Kakashi-san, Anko-san and me ended up in Naruto's apartment to discuss about the situation. Except you were not there."

Steven remained thoughtful and concluded, in the same apathetic tone.

"You probably decided that yesterday after I left."

"Yeah, after you impolitely told us to leave you alone."

He remembered it well. After the revelation of Danzo's trap, Steven asked the Hokage to do something to stop him, but it was in vain. All powerful as he was, the Sandaime had his hands tied. An intervention to save a clan accused of treason would have been perceived as an act of weakness and madness by many people. If the situation does not change, the Hokage could not do anything more.

The group had to leave the office to let the Hokage think. Hatake-san was angry, but not as much as Anko. The snake-lady had asked what they would do. What no one answered, not even Steven, who had a mean appearance and started to drag his feet. When the kunoichi tried to stop him, the teenager had raised his voice in order to be left alone, with crude words. After which he went to Naruto's apartment and collapsed with grief and dejection.

He felt that all was over, he had failed.

He stopped to remember when the new disciple of Tsunade pulled him after her by the wrist. She took the opportunity to declare.

"Okay, now that I found you, we will be able to move a little. Come, follow me."

Steven was too apathetic to resist. He followed up to the house of the miniature ninja. Once there, he discovered the psychopath in beige coat and the half-blind hero around the table. No sooner were he entered the young man heard Anko complain.

"At last! Can we know where you were?"

Still low, the metalhead replied.

"I was with Naruto at the academy."

This brief and indifferent response indicated to the lady snake that something was wrong with the teenager. But she said that, given the situation, it was not so surprising. She grunted and move on.

Rhiannon moved, followed by Steven, but he stood on the table by collapsing on his crossed arms, staring into the void. The girl with wooden beads then started the discussion.

"Well ... I guess we all know that the situation is ... disturbing."

Anko said sarcastically.

"Disturbing? Why? Because we have found that the most powerful clan in the village has partnered with one of his worst enemy? Or because we unconsciously assisted one of the biggest asshole of the town to justify his plan of arrest? Project that may very well degenerate into a civil war by the way. "

"Stop your sarcasm Anko-san." Kakashi asked, nervously exhausted. "It is already complicate so don't worsen everything please."

The kunoichi with purple hair sighed and asked.

"So what do we do?"

Ria replied on.

"We try to prevent Danzo-San from triggering a catastrophe because of the Uchiha."

"That's our goal." Clarified the snake-lady. "But I would like to know how we will do it."

Steven, still slumped with a sad face, muttered softly.

"What difference does it make?"

This reply surprised everyone. Each had now a puzzled look over the geek in full depression.

"What?" Anko wondered.

The young man continued.

"Aren't the Uchiha guilty? We found that they trapped Itachi and they are visibly associated with the Sokora Clan. Your job ends here, right? You should be happy, even Ria. It'll be one less ally for the Professor. "

The three partners looked at each other to show their feelings about the Gamer's words. Anko was flabbergasted. Rhiannon was speechless. Kakashi, he looked as expressionless as usual. But his visible eye seemed to express that he had not expected such an allowance from the geek, usually determined.

The redhead with a lunar medallion wanted to react. But what the geek said in the end made her hesitate. It's the kunoichi who finally replied.

"Uh ... Steven ... You heard what I said or the thing for your ears have made you deaf? The situation is not so simple."

"What do you mean?" Inquired the geek but without real conviction.

Kakashi asked the young English.

"You did not tell him?"

Ria seemed to remember something and informed him that not.

"I ... wanted to do it earlier. But I forgot when I was searching him."

Kakashi sighed a big blow. Then he turned to Steven and explained.

"The Hokage did not remain inactive last night. He told me he had spoken with Itachi-san to tell him everything. Needless to say how he was disappointed and desperate. He never imagined that everything would end like this."

Steven knew it. If the famous ninja asked him for help, it was precisely to prevent this from happening. The metalhead felt especially bad. But the hero with white hair then added.

"Itachi-san admitted he had been suspicious about his clan. But he never imagined that they would kill one of them and join forces with Sokora Takeshi. However, what has surprised him the most is that the killer, whoever he is, managed to discover that he was a spy of the Hokage without them realizing it. And that Shisui-san was helping. "

Steven and Ria exchanged a sorry look. They thought they knew how it happened. They knew that Mitchell had sent to his terrible partner informations on the chronology of the Manga. That's why Takeshi asked his men to attack Tsunade, and potentially ask for the murder of Naruto. If the Uchiha were in business with the renegade clan, he had certainly revealed that there was an infiltrator in their house.

The ninja concluded his recap.

"Itachi-san said he had hoped that things do not happen that way. He noticed that not all the Uchiha were excited by the idea of fighting the village. But if Danzo stop accuse them of treason, this will push the indecisive one to fight with the rest of the clan. And those simply because they refuse to believe that one of them might have murder another one. Especially to trap someone as important as Itachi and condemned him to death. "

Anko added immediately.

"So, knowing that the Uchiha are in pretty bad terms with the village authorities, lately, the indecisive Uchiha will surely take this accusation as an insult. It would be the straw that breaks the camel's back. One reason for them to believe that members calling for a revolt were right from the beginning. Knowing the clan, they will all prefer to fight. So we risk an open conflict due to a misunderstanding that Danzo refuses to consider. For him, they should all be arrested. "

These explanations plunged the geek with medallions in depression even more. In addition to being desperate, the situation now seemed grotesque and unfair.

Ria then recaped.

"We must find a way to prevent this."

"Exactly." Hatake supported. "A battle in the middle of the city would be a disaster."

"Fortunately, clarified Anko, Danzo's men need time to return to the village and prepare. We have time."

"How can we stop them?" Asked the redhead.

Steven sighed feebly uttering.

"We cannot." This surprised again the kunoichi. "Danzo is one of the most influential people of this village. And the Uchiha are guilty, one way or another. There's nothing we can do."

While observing with his only visible eye, Kakashi-san corrected.

"Not exactly. If we could find who did it more accurately, it would show that all Uchiha are not enemies and would prove to the indecisive one of the clan they are being manipulated. Thus, the Hokage will make an arrest in due form limiting the effects. It is unlikely that the rebel members would fight without the support of the whole clan. "

"And do you have any idea about who killed Shisui-san?" Asked the geek. "You know who took his eyes? Did you found a clue in the Valley of the end?"

There was an awkward silence then. They were thinking really hard, but the trio didn't know what to do. The Uchiha were many, any one might have attacked Shisui, or do it as someone's request.

Steven therefore felt despair.

"That's what I thought. You cannot do anything. It's over."

Anko finally had enough. She began to bellow.

"What's the matter with you today? The Steven who bring me so much troubles would not be such a worm. Did you not promised to find out the truth or something like? "

The Otaku did not even hear it. His eyes were lowered dived vacuum. He did not even seem to have listened.

But he eventually declared.

"I should not have…"

Anko was fed up with his moribund attitude. This annoyed her even more that his incomprehensible references. She felt she was going to break a few bones. Then the geek with medallions confessed, full of regrets.

"I promised to Sasuke that I would save his brother ..." Ria and Anko seemed surprised. "He might be if someone says he has done some important service to the village as a spy ... but Sasuke will mainly be without family and probably hated because of his name and those because of me." The ninja with one eye listened with understanding. "I wanted to keep my promise ... But not like this."

The snake-lady loosened her fists as he spoke.

"I should have ignore him and run away. Why did I not? I even heard Runaway. Why do I have to meddle in things that are none of my business? "

The three partners understood a little better what was tormenting the Londoner. Ria even had some compassion looking at him. He never asked for so much responsibility in such a serious case. And keeping its promises was something very important for him, this tragic story plunged him into confusion.

Steven had promised to find out what happened to Shisui-san, save Itachi's honor and he kept his promise. But it provoked a dreadful situation that filled him with doubt and remorse. Especially as he remembered what had declared the famous Narrator. The latter told him that things would happen differently than he imagined. And he didn't lied. Rather than being massacred by Itachi-san, the clan would be during a battle in the middle of the village. The share of responsibility he had in this story weighed on his heart.

The kunoichi in beige coat considered every word from abroad. She thought of all she had seen him do and say before, especially during the Inuzuka case. In a quiet and sincere voice, she then began to respond.

"It's because you're not a bad person Steven ..."

Ria and Kakashi were baffled hearing this.

"And because you're a baka I think." Quickly added the kunoichi.

Steven finally ends up looking up from the table, although still expressionless.

The Snake-lady added.

"Whether Hasaki Tenten, Inuzuka Hana, Uchiha Sasuke or even Uzumaki Naruto, whenever you see a whining brat, you cannot stop you from trying to help him and, like a fool, to promise something. But as you're a good person, and stubborn as a mule, you keep your promise until the end. "

Steven seemed to listen attentively while she added, with annoyance.

"But you're not responsible for what happened this time. You had no idea of what was going to happen. And if you had done nothing, the Uchiha would still be preparing something while Itachi would have been sentenced to death. If things are going wrong, it's because of Danzo-sama. "

Kakashi nodded.

"It's true. You are not responsible for how he used our conclusions."

Steven looked at them in silence.

He said, saddly.

"I want to avoid a massacre ..."

"This is what we all want Steven." Ria declared kindly.

"Except I have no idea how to do it." Clarified the geek.

The stubborn kunoichi pronounced.

"So thought as you usually do. Usually you stay a moment without speaking and you find the answer."

"Unless I need information for it. Whatever the question, if I have no way to answer it, then I can do nothing."

"And that's why you seem close to death now?" Anko got angry.

Steven's silence was a sufficient answer.

The lady with purple hair clenched her fists, when the masked ninja explained, with a serenity that destabilized the young stranger.

"Rai-san, I understand that you feel powerless in this situation. You do not know where to look and what to do. Believe me, it's a feeling that even I had known. But this is not necessarily the reality. You must persist more. Try to find something that you have not thought about yet. "

The geek was silent, but this time, because he was deep in thought.

The young man, however, confessed his ignorance.

"I don't have any ideas."

"Well, we will eventually find." Announced Mitarashi-san. "For example, where is the murder weapon? Or Who was close enough from Itachi-san to prowl around him without arouse suspicion ..."

Hatake interrupted while Ria seemed thinking.

"The murder weapon is surely hidden in a place that only the culprit know. We must find the murderer before. And there is not enough time to ask this kind of question. Especially as only an Uchiha could answer, something they will refuse. "

"This is just examples, exclaimed Anko, you could help me instead of destroy my ideas."

Rhiannon told.

"I wonder why the culprit attecked Shisui-san instead of Itachi-san directly."

Kakashi guessed.

"The killer clearly wanted to kill the two people spying on the clan on behalf of the Hokage. The order may not matter. If it had been Itachi-san the victim, the result would have been the same with Shisui-san in jail."

"I guess." Admitted Ria. "But there's something I don't understand ... what will they do with Shisui-san's eyes?"

This time, Steven widened suddenly.

"Some officials will certainly transplant them surgically. I doubt the clan resell them on the black market ..."

"Wait!" Screamed the geek. "What did you said Ria?"

The three partners seemed baffled by the vivacity of the metalhead.

"Um ... I asked what the Uchiha were going to do with the eyes they took from Shisui ..."

Steven seemed frozen like a statue, air amazes. He took his head in his hands, eyes turned to the ground, and began to think aloud.

"The question actually is: How do they preserve this organs? They can't keep them under their pillow until this whole mess stop..."

The two ninjas and the redhead were looking with interest at the otaku resurrecting his brain.

"They were not expecting to be discovered. So the eyes, if they want to transplant them, must be placed where they will be kept for a moment. You were talking about some kind of play doughe yesterday Anko-san, right? "

The kunoichi remembered and summarized.

"Yeah, it seems there is a Chakra-based play dough that can preserve organs longer. It is placed in special boxes designed specifically according to what we want to keep. But we're talking about eyes. Even with this thing we cannot keep the non-transplanted organ more than... four or five days. "

Steven continued.

"This means that the operation must happen as soon as possible."

"What if the transplantation has already happened?" Ria proposed.

"It's simple." Steven replied. "Transplanting eyes is a major operation. It takes time to recover and medical support."

"I confirm." Kakashi explained. "Even I needed intensive care after my transplantation."

Everyone knew he was referring to his Sharingan. If his one was done in a medically questionable circumstances, he knew what he was talking about. Steven continued.

"In other words, if someone need such an operation at this time, it will be easy to identify him because it would the only absent for questionable reasons ... But something tells me it will not be the case."

"What do you mean?" Mitarashi asked.

"Ask anyone to do such an operation is out of the question for the Uchiha. They need a doctor they trust. Someone who can take care of the Sharingans and would not say anything to anyone because he's loyal to the clan."

Mitarashi seemed to realize something. And a small smile appeared on her face.

"I think I have something that sound like this in my closet." She reported.

Steven almost proudly pronounced.

"If you could ask him where Shisui-san's eyes is, that would help. It can tell us where they are. Or give us a direction in which to search. But most importantly, for my plan to succeed, we need to find a person who can ask for a service to the hospital staff. "

"A plan?" Inquired Rhiannon

The Geek explained.

"I think I have an idea. It's risky but no more than usual. If everything goes as I imagine, it will end this nightmare."

Hatake asked what he had in mind.

Steven explained his idea in detail.

Ria didn't seemed enthusiast at all. Kakashi showed no emotion, that Steven took as an approval. Anko then began to smile.

"I wonder where you find all these ideas Rai-san." Pronounced the kunoichi.

The latter rose from his chair and announced proudly.

"So, I have a Uchiha questioned in this case."

Kakashi did the same by adding.

"I accompany you."

Ria stood up in turn by informing the others, uncomfortable.

"I ... I will ask for help to Tsunade-sensei."

And finally, Steven stood up declaring.

"Good. See you later, just behind the Uchiha domain. I have some cooking to do."

* * *

_Later_

In an alley behind the Uchiha estate, near the wall encircling it, the young English in samurai tee shirt was waiting with his redhead partner. The young man, leaning near a back door, could not stop grinding what he had in his pocket. Ria saw his concern, she asked gently.

"You're okay?"

The Geek sighed with the tension of a rope about to crack.

"Not really." He acknowledged. "This plan is highly risky. And the slightest glitch, or any information that we could have missed would make everything crumble."

The redhead with a lunar medallion tried to reassure him by admitting that she preferred to see him like this than depressed. Steven was ashamed thinking back.

"I'm not sure what happened to me ..." uttered there.

The young English girl thought she knew. She put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, explaining what she thought.

"It's because you were desperate. We did stupid things in this kind of moment."

Steven sighed a big blow.

"I may not have paid as much attention as I thought when I was playing Danganronpa." Supposed Steven. "But I still love this license."

"You are talking about games again. It's the proof that you feel better." Quipped the redhead.

The Geek smirked before noticing the arrival of the ninja duo. The kunoichi bitter tone told eagerly.

"No time for this. Danzo-san's men are in front of the domain with the Hokage."

The panic began icing Steven, while Kakashi continued.

"We talked to the Uchiha doctor. He was not very excited by the idea of an open war between the village and the clan. I think he believed in that state coup d'état as long as there was an element of surprise. "

Anko recovered explanation.

"So, he recognized the fact that he was asked to supervise the Sharingan transplantation, stating we already knew who had asked him. But he did not keep the eyes with him for security reasons. The red box containing Shisui-san's eyes cannot be far away from their owner he said, since the operation has to take place as soon as possible. It is probably in the vast hall ... "

"Wait!" Cut off the geek. "You said 'red box'?"

The Ninjas confirmed. The otaku groaned in annoyance.

"And I was hoping we would not have to get there ..." he mumbled.

"A problem?" Worried the lady with purple hair acid.

"It happens that I planned three possibilities to our plan and the most annoying of them occurs." The Geek pointed toward the urban fortress behind him with his thumb. "We'll have to enter into this house to look for the Sharingan."

The kunoichi with the sand color coat blew with irritation.

"Seriously, she lamented, nothing is simple with you."

"It's just a setback, reassured the one eyed ninja, the Uchiha are almost all out of the domain to bare their teeth to the Root's men. We may be able to enter without problem.

"I doubt that." Interrupted a striking voice.

The four investigators turned in the direction of the murderous voice. They found two root's warriors posted on a roof. Their eyes fixed on the amateur saviors.

In an instant, Anko and Hatake put themselves in position to fight.

"What the...?" Mumbled the girl with wooden pearls.

"No time to lose." Explained the snow hair ninja. "Danzo-san has clearly asked them to prevent anyone interrupting his small operation."

The geek had ice in his veins, his muscles paralyzed by the sight of the two demons.

Anko took advantage of her position between them and the two kids to turn quickly and give a kick that exploded the back door. She had just enough time to block a whizzing kunai flying to her.

"Go!" She commanded. "We will stop them but you'll have to move quickly to stop this."

The otaku managed to force its members to move and run inside the domain, followed by her redhead friend.

And while metal drums filled the street, both English swooped without stopping toward the wooden house to the cold and secret nobility.

"What do we do?" Urgently asked the redhead.

"We have to find the Sharingan's box now."

The two teens entered the maze of cozy area.

Steven ran without stopping, his breath quickening. He was breathing crushed glass at every step. But he could not rest now.

They finally arrived in the great hall of the Uchiha domain. A majestic backdrop of arrogant sobriety.

"Let's search here!" Proposed the hastily improvised commander.

The English teenagers looked at each wooden walls and tatami mats. That's when Ria's haste made fall a small table that she noticed something. She lifted one of the pillows from the ground and found a trapdoor. The London girl called his partner and opened the creaking panel.

Below was an alcove containing a cursed but important treasure. Some boxes were there. And when the geek nimbly opened one of them, he found the famous weapons that hypnotized the people of this naive universe.

There was mainly Tazers in that container. But also the famous Colt Python that mocked the otaku since his arrival in this world, and a whole boxe of cartridges.

Steven therefore understood that this box was simply the one he had revealed during the Inuzuka case. But inside it were far more things than the last time. His abductor had added a bright leather band the geek recognized as a shoulder holster. The essential accessory to keep an instrument of death close. But it is especially the little red box below which delighted and disgusted the Londoner with a strand.

He wanted to vomit at the thought of what he had to do, so he implored Ria to do it.

The disciple of Tsunade was annoyed by this requirement, but was also determined to stop watching the magnum to help his colleague.

When the thankless task was accomplished. Steven took the old blood color box and smiled for the first time since what seems eternity.

He stood up saying:

"Showtime !"

* * *

In front of the main gate of the Uchiha domain was a meeting announcing a storm about to burst. Two armies ready to attack.

Clan members roared with weapons in hand, ready to charge over their opponents. This ironic western was prevented by a willingness sheet maintained by the old man who rules the village. And the weight of this function could be saw on his face.

But while the Hokage was worried about this situation, a scarred statue envenomed things a little more.

"For the last time, commanded Danzo, surrender immediately."

"No way!" Uchiha Fugaku replied.

The clan chief was on the verge of screaming.

"Do not make things more difficult than they already are Fugaku-san." Implored the Sandaime.

The leader of the Uchiha clan clenched his teeth.

"You accuse one of us of murder and the entire clan of treason ... We will not tolerate this libel."

Several Uchiha screamed their approval, a tragic rallying cry.

Danzo was only waiting for this and Hiruzen Sarutobi get sad. Even him had to took out of his sleeve a cold kunai.

"As you wish then." Danzo hissed.

But when the bell of destiny was about to ring the beginning of the fight, a destabilizing scream commanded to the world.

"STOOOOOOP!"

The entire assembly turned his most surprised face over the main gate of the estate. Their shock was not reduced by discovering in the doorway the ridiculous spectacle of a dripping sweat dropping and breathless larva.

A red-haired girl with a black clothing stood beside him with consternation, and even pity.

None of the Uchiha could understand who this person was and what he was doing in this house. The Sandaime was a mix of misunderstanding and hope. The only one who was angrier than anything else was the scarified monolith clutching his weapon with irritation. He knew that this person was the herald of perfectly unplanned troubles.

The stranger caught his breath and stepped between the Uchiha who get out of his way mechanically. He and his friend placed themselves in the no man's land between the two enraged factions.

"This battle is useless." Decreed the geek.

The Ninjas didn't understood what was happening. Danzo took a step forward by ordering the two intruders.

"You have nothing to do here."

"On the contrary, refuted the girl with a lunar medallion, we have a way to prevent a bloodbath and that's what we'll do."

The hawkish ninja was angrier. The leader of the Uchiha asked his opponents.

"What does that mean? What are strangers doing here?"

"These foreigners, interposed the Sandaime, have found your links with the murder of Shisui-san."

The renegade clan barked angrily.

"Lie!" They shouted. "Defamation"

Danzo added.

"Since they have proven the treason of the Uchiha. There is no reason for this arrest to be interrupted..."

"On the contrary!" Screamed Steven. "This 'arrest' make sense only if you do not know who the culprit is."

The geek's affirmation intrigued the Hokage.

"What are you saying?" He encouraged.

"I mean I know who is the only person that must be arrested, for now." Clarified the geek with a strand.

He did not waste a moment. This new element troubled the Uchiha and Steven pointed someone, shouting.

"The only culprit here is you, Uchiha Fugaku!"

The world seemed frozen for a while.

"You are not telling us anything new." Danzo said.

"These allegations are ridiculous." Affirmed the clan leader.

Steven sighed saying.

"I knew you'd say that. But I'll explain why he's responsible for the murder, you'll change your mind very quickly."

Steven began to walk on the battlefield, raising a first finger.

"Firstly: We capture and interrogate the official doctor of the clan Uchiha after he tried to kill us with the same type of weapon found during the Inuzuka case. I doubt he also keep such a particular object on him at his place of work. This means that someone supplied him. And coincidentally we find the same box that had been seized in the Inuzuka case hidden in the domain. And to seize an object officially in the hands of the village police, one must be very influential. I doubt that this doctor is influential enough to make weapons crates and hide it in the domain of his clan. This proves that there's someone above him who could be providing weapons without problems. "

Everyone listened to the report carefully, with a crippling interest.

Steven raised a second finger.

"Secondly: The manager has killed or made killed Shisui-san because he knew that he was a spy for the Hokage, and he has accused Itachi-san because he was one also. Information that only the Hokage, Danzo-san and the Sokora know. Never the Sandaime or Danzo-san would have let this information leak. The culprit is important enough to negotiate with Sokora Takeshi then. The doctor also explained that he was about to do a Sharingan transplantation, which requires discretion and time. Only someone really important could provide that for a complete surgical operation. To combine all this, he must be as important as a clan leader. "

The Uchiha began to doubt. Despite the firm stance of their patriarch.

The geek finished raising a third finger.

"And thirdly: While I was searching inside the house, I also found... this."

Steven took a long cylindrical blood-colored box out of his pocket. Fugaku seemed to show a brief expression of surprise but did his best to look as calm as possible.

The londoner sighed, seeming surprised.

"What? You say nothing? Did I made a mistake?"

Nobody flinched, apart from the other clan members who seemed plunged into incomprehension.

"Okay well in that case ..." sighed the metalhead. "This box is useless."

He dropped it suddenly and when it hit the ground, Ria quickly raised his foot. Fugaku's eyes widened. And when the disciple of Tsunade quickly lowered, the clan leader screamed.

"NO !"

But the foot smashed the relic that broke out in a disgusting liquid spray. The troops were frozen of surprise. The Uchiha leader seemed aghast. He stammered, trembling.

"Do you realize...?"

"What we have done?" Steven completed. "And what have we done? Huh?"

The Geek pointed to a random Uchiha.

"Do you know?" He asked.

He called another.

"Or you?" No answer. "No ?"

Steven turned to the clan leader and explained the truth.

"No one seems alarmed by the destruction of that box. This is the proof that you are the only person to know what it contains. You are the only one knowing that this box contain the eyes of Shisui-san. "

The whole assembly was struck with disbelief. The chieftain became a freezing statue at the image of his own downfall.

The Londoner continued.

"Of course your doctor could have been the murderer of Shisui-san and the one who has removed his eyes. But he says the opposite and it is in your house that the eyes were, among weapons sold by the Sokora. And as you are the only one that know about this box, it means that you are, at best, the one who asked for the victim's murder. Maybe the murderer himself. Whatever was your projects, you are the only one guilty of Shisui Uchiha's murder. "

The bell had rung. The patriarch was not moving and most members of his clan had retreated to get away from this plague. Some had even made a step towards the Hokage's ninja. The disgusting barrier between the traitor and the indecisive one had risen.

The Sandaime was shamefully delighted with this show.

Danzo, however, became a masterpiece of frustration.

An Uchiha was scandalized, screaming to his fallen leader how he could do such a thing: Kill one of his own, him who called asked to support the clan before anything else.

Uchiha Fugaku said nothing. He raised up to regain some embarrassed dignity. He took a step toward the Hokage and declared.

"Sandaime, I can recognize when I have no chance. Please show mercy to my clan."

Danzo bellowed that they could not trust Fugaku-san. What the Sandaime replied that he had only to look around to know that most of these warriors had never asked for that. His eyes could not miss the destroyed trusts of some and the broken hopes of the others.

Steven and Ria were reassured. They avoided a cataclysm and everything ended well. The Londoner girl put a friendly hand on the shoulder of his partner. They knew it was a bit sad, and it would be heartbreaking for Sasuke, but the worst had been avoided.

The Hokage spoke directly to Fugaku to add a condition for their surrender.

"You will tell us everything you know about the Sokora clan and their plans."

Fugaku remained monolithic in its approval.

The Hokage and the two English teenagers could finally smile.

The Uchiha case was officially closed.

But that did not mean that the tragedy had begun his final act.

Just when Fugaku gave his agreement, a ghost ran over behind him. A metal whistle was heard. And the whole world crumbled as the Uchiha's head fell from his body. She rolled like a bowling ball in front of everyone.

The Ninjas, Danzo, The Hokage and especially the two teenagers did not understand directly.

Then the flesh curtain fell to reveal a heartless warrior with two sickles.

Everyone's eyes widened, full of fear.

But it was the two teenagers who were the most destabilized. Both recognized the brown spiked hair, the pointed beard, and especially bar shaped black tattoos that went out of the outline of his tiger eyes.

Sokora Genkishi, Sokora Takeshi's right arm, decapitated the Uchiha leader.

Fugaku's body hit the ground. This tragic and heavy bell was followed by the Genkishi's sentence. In one second he put his sickles away and pulled out two Browning HP pistols.

Their lightning felt on the Uchiha.

Ria barely had time to shout 'Get down!' that several Uchiha fell. Those who tried to attack immediately met their ancestors by the action of the silent devil.

Ria's warning prompted some ninjas to move. Most men of Danzo, and Scarface himself, wasted no time to get out of sight. The Hokage was put in safety by one of his Shinobi.

But the one who had the most trouble to act in this confusion was Steven. He remained frozen until the frantic escape of an Uchiha had made him fall down. In this demonic cacophony involving explosions and the last breaths of screaming ninjas, Steven could only crawl panicking in a direction. But his internal compass was parasitized by chaos and fear. When the shots stopped, he looked abroad to the heroes of evil and discovered that Genkishi needed a moment to reload his life breakers.

It was at this moment that a blade flew to touch one of Genkishi's Browning HP, making him losing it. Its launcher, Hatake Kakashi, down from a roof with Mitarashi Anko.

Knowing how he should stay focus face of such adversaries, the Sokora threw his gun to take his two sickles.

Under Steven's gaze, the Uchiha tried to take the opportunity to attack the murderer of their leader. But it was their last foolish decision. A gray air stream tore their torso.

When he looked at what it was, the Londoner discovered an even more terrifying vision and eventually changed into a statue. Before him, the envoy of death itself was advancing amid the Uchiha. The mower avoided blades and fists with simple gestures that made them pass a few millimeters from him, without disturbing his calmness a moment. Even his blue bandanna did not have a rip. Each clan members who tried to challenge him never lasted more than one or two second. Every challenge ended with the death of one of the Uchiha, either with a knife planted in the body, a deep cut or a broken neck.

Steven colleagues themselves seemed surprised and worried by seeing it over the shoulder of Genkishi.

The thing that had robbed and slashed ninjas was Kamu, the mastiff of the killer. The animal was following his master.

The Londoner could not believe the horrible nightmare occurring before him.

He knew that this horrible miracle would remain etched in his memory, that he would never forget how this man with long white hairs seemed capable of killing anyone, anywhere, anytime. His face, as sharp, cold and expressionless as an assassin blade seemed to watch the young English boy for a second. His gaze without conviction, piercing to Steven's soul itself, was enough for the little mouse to feel like he have been targeted and automatically kill.

Despite the blood on his body and the screams around him, at no time the human being lost his diabolical stature.

Nothing could get in the way of Eiko.

When the alabaster haired ninja and his hound camed up to Genkishi, the latter uttered without leaving his two enemies look.

"Are they all dead?"

"No." Eiko said passively. "Some of them had time to escape. But those who had important informations have been eliminated."

The tattooed warrior groaned in annoyance.

Then a ninja, brave or crazy, landed behind the two monsters. Another soldier landed well away and an entire troupe eventually encircle the two murderer.

Genkishi said, still imperturbable.

"We should be able to go in a moment."

Eiko had an approving silence. His Cerberus, showing his fangs full of blood, barked his desire to kill, but the hand of Eiko told him to not do anything.

The Warriors of Konoha did not dare move. They should face them at one time, but none wanted to take the first step. They were frightened.

Suddenly, lightning burst from the ground and the void. Konoha's soldiers leaped back. The two killers were waiting.

Bluish arcs joined at some point and an unnatural mouth opened in the middle of nothing. On the other side was another place, a huge house, but clearly not the Uchiha's one. This one was had an imposing stature. It wanted to crush those who were not worthy to live, despite its partial destruction. A very strong old man in a black kimono was in front of the undulating rift, arms outstretched. It was the guardian of this place and the one that opened this abnormal portal. Eiko, Kamu and Genkishi did not wait a moment. They all jumped to the other side, making sure that nobody was following them.

The young Englishman had time to see the Hercules with a white beard. He could see how his skeletal face and his murderous eyes were the mark of a dignified fury.

This man did not even look for the young one. He simply did a move and the doors of hell closed, leaving no other than the victims of the holders of its will.

And then there was silence.

The ninjas were frozen with terror. They were even reluctant to breathe.

Only after the Hokage reappeared in the midst of the carnage that warriors resumed their minds.

But that was not the case of Steven. All he was hearing was the vague hubbub of the soldiers. All he was seeing was a crimson ocean of flesh.

He felt a disgusting liquid throwing off from his stomach. He coughed a great shot while Ria came to his side to shake him gently.

Steven looked around. All he saw was death. The living were as invisible as uninteresting persons.

Ria's helped him to raise up and asked him how he felt.

The young man did not answer. He was a rope about to break, struggling to resist even a little.

The tragedy of the Uchiha was finally over.

* * *

_Later_

_Konoha's Park_

The sun began to disappear, wearing his insulting orange. A drama happened and yet everything continued to live.

Steven knew it was useless to think like that. Sitting alone on the bench, eyes filled with deep disappointment, the English boy seemed disconnected from the world. His misfortune was huge. But not as horrible as what Sasuke was feeling right now.

He had not saw the Narrator again. It was not really worth it. The guardian of this world had told him that the massacre was not the key point. The geek had finally understood what was needed to happen: the misfortune of Sasuke.

It was one of the main drivers of the manga 'Naruto', it was really necessary. Steven was sad. But a shameful part of him whispered that it was inevitable. This universe would have collapsed otherwise. They would all be dead without leaving anyone or anything. He was saying this to himself, but it didn't relieved his mind. Maybe he could have done things differently, but it was over. The world would not be destroyed, but Sasuke's life was already in pieces.

He was staying there alone. After the carnage, they had proposed to the geek to take him to the hospital, or at least change clothes. But he had simply walked away mechanically, deaf to the trivialities of other living one, with its slightly stained with blood shirt. He had walked without stopping, until his exhausted legs made him collapse on a bench.

He had sat motionless, as one of the so many bodies now covering the ground in front of the Uchiha domain.

After many hours on his lost island, a person stopped near him.

The geek did not react until the discreet stranger gently called.

"Sumimasen Rai-san ..."

The young man with medallions raised his head slightly. He discovered a young man who seemed familiar, who seemed to be the ghost of the Uchiha clan. His black hair, soulful eyes and his imperturbable stature reminded him of Fugaku-san. He was not even paying attention to the wooden box that hung limply at the end of a rope handle in his hand.

Steven finally recognized him. The thousands of images that scrolled on the net came back to him. He could not ignore who this person was.

Steven asked weakly.

"It's you ... Uchiha Itachi. Is it not?"

"Yes it's me." He replied.

They stood watching each other for a moment. Without exchanging a word. Then Steven asked.

"They freed you ..."

"Yes, shortly after telling me what happened."

Steven felt bad again. He looked down with shame and tears.

"I'm sorry ..." Tried the geek.

Itachi said.

"Do not feel guilty."

The young Englishman was surprised to hear this. He did not know how to react. He simply looked to the face filled with regret of Itachi.

"You did all you could." Continued the Uchiha. "My family decided his fate the moment it has joined the Sokora. Or they succeeded, or they disappeared."

Steven listened to what he said carefully.

"You managed to uncover the deception of my father, proving that some of us were not traitors. He even tried to amend shortly before his death. The village will be wary of us for a long time ... but we can always redeem ourselves. Some members of the clan have survived. Not so much, but it would have been a complete genocide if you had done nothing. You've avoided the worst possible scenario. None were happy I think but it could have ended worse. "

Steven thought it was very probable; Since it would have virtually been the case in this world. This does not change the surprising side of this statement. The geek asked.

"Why are you telling me this? Why are you here anyway?"

The ninja replied almost immediately, but his words had difficulty to pass his throat.

"I've had time to prepare for this kind of situation. I spied my family, potential traitors ... But you, I trusted you with the weight of a very risky mission. I imagined how this must be burdensome for you. I thought it was my responsibility to alleviate a little your conscience. "

The teenager with chains was always a statue of remorse.

"You will not thank me anyway..." he inquired sadly.

Itachi looked abroad with the same guilt. He saw how much he had in mind for now. His answer was the most direct and compassionate possible.

"No ... not today ... It's too soon. But one day perhaps."

Both remained without speaking for a while. Then the Uchiha declared having to go to see his little brother. Steven humbly asked him to tell the child he was sorry. But the big brother refused.

"I know what you told him. You promised to get me out of this mess.' You kept your promise. There is nothing to be forgiven."

The ninja placed before the geek the wooden box he had worn so far. Steven, intrigued, recognized this mocking box. It was the one containing the Colt Python, TASER and cartridges. One located in the Uchiha's house earlier.

The English boy raised misunderstanding eyes to Itachi. He answered his unspoken question.

"I never want to see these things again. The Hokage will seize our home, but before that, I entrust them to you, as they are technically mine. The others are already at Naruto normally. I feel like they attract misfortune ... or do anything to come to you. I therefore beg you to keep them. I am officially the owner of Uchiha domain for now, as the eldest son of the previous patriarch. So I give them before they become the property of the village. That way, they will be officially yours. Do as you want... I prefer to let these things under your supervision instead of someone unknown. "

Steven guessed.

"You think ... that their content corrupts those who have it."

"Not really ..." Admitted Itachi. "These are weapons, like any other, but I would be reassured to know they are with you ..."

The geek did not believe that. He was too exhausted nervously to replicate to this destiny's joke.

The silence of the geek was enough to show his resignation.

The Uchiha thanked him bowing and went quietly. None returned his gaze to one other. But they both knew that between them, there now was a ghostly debt that the author would never know how to actually pay it. Steven did not care. But Itachi would not forget. Perhaps they would talk one day. But clearly not very before a very long time.

Steven stood for a moment to think about what Itachi-san told him. He still felt nauseous thinking back about the carnage, but his soul's stifling nodes seemed begining to unravel.

However, he still felt a sharp terror at the slightest remembrance of the avatar of the grim reaper: Eiko. His face expressionless, his divinely mortal posture and way of taking life without hesitation ... All this, Steven will have to learn to lock it in the depths of his mind. Or else he thought he would never dare to go outside, feeling the chilling aura of Eiko everywhere. Like he would be hearing the steps of death at every moment.

The new leader of the Uchiha clan left, the young English felt someone sitting next to him. Turning his head, he discovered the Sandaime. The Hokage had never seemed so tired.

"He told the truth, you know." Confirmed the old man.

The geek said nothing. He had not much to say. He simply ask a sufficiently exhausted tone to show that he did not want to be arrogant, just an answer.

"And you, what do you want?"

"I wanted to knowing where you were."

Steven continued in the same tone without force.

"You still survey me?"

"Not really." Said the Hokage. "I wanted to see how you manage all this."

The Geek uttered nothing. The silence was a sufficient response for the Sandaime.

"What will happen now?" The boy asked, like a warrior at the end of a terrible and tiring battle.

Sarutobi said with a sigh at the thought of what the future would be.

"A lot of things for me. With the tensions with the Council and the clans, the funeral of the Uchiha clan, a potential lawsuit against the survivors to avoid a scandal... not to mention the Sokora clan that will not stop there ... "

The geek could imagine how the coming months would be stretched to Konoha.

"You will also say that we have avoided the worst?" Inquired London.

Hiruzen remained pensive for a moment before answering.

"Oddly enough ... I would say yes."

Steven seemed more disappointed than surprised hearing this from him.

"This tragedy grieves me, do not doubt it. Like everyone, I wanted to not see anyone dead. But my position as leader makes me see the big picture. Itachi-san summed the situation. The Uchiha are responsible for their downfall this time, and you have done nothing wrong. On the contrary. "

Part of geek hoped that someone would be angry at him, just a little. That would hurt him, but he would have been able to think it wasn't the best ending.

The Hokage unconsciously refused this self-flagellation of the geek, admitting, with disturbing sincerity.

"Since you arrived Rai-san, you prevented the Sokora to make this village fall. Without you, the Inuzuka and Uchiha clans would have probably been trying to fight against us to dominate the village. You helped to bring justice, and seek out traitors in our ranks. And more importantly ... Naruto would be dead. "

This last sentence seemed heavier but important for the old man. Steven was aware of this. But this nightmare was still too recent to make him feel better. The words of the two ninjas helped him more than he could imagine.

A picture of this event came to his mind: the old man in black kimono with angry face.

"When there was this rift..." Asked the geek. "There was a man ..."

The Sandaime anticipated the question and confirmed.

"It was Sokora Takeshi. The cause of all our misfortunes."

Steven began to wonder, with difficulty, if it was not rather Mitchell the real responsible.

"If you had not intervened, Takeshi-san would surely already be at my place."

The metalhead dared not imagine what this colossus would have done in this case.

After a short silence, the Sandaime continued with a statement the geek did not expect.

"This village is in debt with you Rai-san. I doubt the other ninjas realize it, at least for now, but it's a fact. Even if you refuse to believe in you."

Steven did not like the idea that one owes something after such a story. Perhaps the time would heal the injuries.

"If I can do something to help, said the old ninja, you can ask me."

To ask for favors after such tragedy seemed not very good in the eyes of the geek. But a part of him hoped to do it now, get rid of it, like it would ease his mind. Especially by asking something simple in the end.

"Anything?" Asked sadly the Otaku.

"If I can do it." Clarified the Sandaime.

Steven seemed again lost in thought. Then he asked weakly.

"Can I stay with Naruto?"

Hiruzen-san did not seemed surprised.

"It's not really a favor, but it is doable. I simply need to claim that it is a good way to keep you in the eye while watching Naruto."

"It is not completely wrong you must admit." Steven clarified.

"I'm not suspecting you, Rai-san. The others probably do. But I saw who you are."

"But I come from where comes the closest of Takeshi Sokora's associate. I have even been his student..."

"I stop you right away. I know all that, but I also know that you have nothing to do with Mitchell-san. It will bring you nothing to overwhelm you with errors that are not yours."

The geek was silent. He lose what little energy he had left to protest.

Almost mechanically, he had a thought that he expressed aloud.

"Now that I think of it, I could use some money, or a job..."

The Hokage could see what he meant. The young man did not want to live like a parasite with Naruto. It would have make him feel a little guilty. The Hokage explained to the otaku.

"I made sure that Naruto receives money regularly to support him. But I admit that know him eating ramen every day is not very healthy for him."

Steven did not understand exactly where he was going. The Hokage proposed this.

"You seems to appreciate each other. And you already are a little careful about him."

The geek could not really deny it. Since his arrival, it was like he had taken the future hero under his wing. Reprimands when he deserved it, anime to inspire him and better food, he actually seemed to take care of this blond tornado.

Hiruzen ended.

"If you promise to continue like that, I can make sure Naruto's money become yours, after being increased to help both of you of course. You will have to make sure he goes well and is training correctly, nothing more. Except for that, you will be free to do what you want, with reasonable limits, of course. "

Steven felt strangely lighter. Probably because of the strangeness of this offer.

"Basically, he summarized, you want me to be his nanny?"

"As we said, it's already a little what you're doing, right? And then nothing stops me to ask you to help us if there is a problem. Is it not?"

The geek had to admit that it was pretty decent, although very particular. Exhaustion made the metalhead accept this proposal with a low voice. That seemed to be the first real good thing that happened to him here for a long time.

The Hokage rose from the bench, claiming he had a lot to do. Before he left, Steven asked him what he intended to do about the boxes of weapons. The leader of the village explained that they would calmly talk about it next time. They were both exhausted. The geek looked at the box with a form of resigned melancholy. If he wanted to prevent another tragedy, he would have to become stronger in his own way.

When the Sandaime began to go, an absurd idea came to the mind of Steven, like asking for a chocolate during a war.

"Wait Hokage-sama ..." Steven interjected.

Hiruzen was a little surprised that the geek addresses him with an honorary title.

"Actually, gently explained the Londoner, There is a very small thing that I could ask for myself ... If it's possible of course ..."

The Hokage listened to his request.

And was even more surprised.

* * *

_The next day_

The streets of Konoha were dried up rivers. Many people stayed home after the announcement of the tragedy of the Uchiha. The activities would resume soon, but it was a day of fear and mourning for now.

In one of them, the famous Tsunade walked with his two acolytes: Shizune and Rhiannon.

"It's weird to see such a large empty village." Observed the girl with wooden beads.

Her Sensei approved, as Shizune. The latter then asked.

"You're sure the restaurant will be open? Given the circumstances ..."

"They have no reason to stop to work." Tsunade cut.

The two girls were not convinced. Then they heard someone shout at the Londoner girl.

"Hey Ria!"

The trio turned and saw an apparition that astonished them.

Steven was there with the little Naruto by his side. But what surprised them, in actually, were the geek's clothes. Although he still had his jeans with small chains, he was now wearing a long black coat that reached to his ankles and making him much more stylish than before. Ria was the most surprised of the three because she almost instantly recognized the garment in question: it was the one they had seen earlier in store and that was way too expensive for him normally.

The teenager in black advanced towards the ladies accompanied by the little blond.

"You also are going to the restaurant?" He asked lightly.

Ria was even more surprised to see him talking without looking depressed, remembering how he was the day before. Naruto greeted the redhead and she then presented him Shizune and the sannin. Their meeting was quieter than Ria would have thought. In the manga, the first meeting between Tsunade and Naruto was rather strange. But this time, the child seemed interested discovering that she was a powerful kunoichi and began talking to her with great enthusiasm, which embarrassed a little the great lady.

While the ninjas were talking for a moment, Ria asked quietly to her friend with a long coat.

She tried to ask the geek how he felt, but he anticipated declaring going very well. The disciple of Tsunade realized he did not want to talk about yesterday. She was in no position to blame him, having been at this tragedy. Then she asked how he had done for the famous black coat, supposedly the same model as in the first Matrix.

The geek told him the arrangement he had with the Hokage last night and he humbly asked this great jacket to get rid of this debt story. The English girl seemed disconcerted by it but accepted it fairly easily actually. It was neither surprising nor strange from Steven. But observing the coat, she saw a strange brown belt protrude from under the fabric at the torso, in total contrast to his white shirt.

When she asked him what it was, Steven seemed uncomfortable. He hesitated at length before lifting a flap of his coat, revealing a shoulder holster containing the Colt Python who harassed them for so long. Ria had cringed and looked at the otaku with incomprehension and fear.

The Geek explained with embarrassment.

"I decided to learn how to use it. I will practice with the boxes of cartridges Itachi gave me yesterday. I'll explain that later. But since ... it happened, I must also prepare myself on my side that it could be worse. "

Ria tried to protest, but she had asked to be trained by one of the most powerful person of this world, then who was she to pretend that he was wrong. He also had the right to not feel useless and unable to react to events.

Steven touched his medallions without looking at his partner's eyes. The girl stared for a moment at what he had decided to wear today. There was his pentacle with red stones, a small Mjöllnir and symbol that the redhead did not recognized: a circle surrounding two kinds of metal arm coming together to form an incomplete triangle.

She asked to the geek about that sign.

"It is the symbol of Overwatch." He answered on a slightly more cheerful tone. "This is an online game. I wanted to put it because ..."

Steven seemed to make sure that no one was hearing them. As the discussion between ninjas seemed to have mysteriously degenerated into an argument between Tsunade and the mini hero, the geek thought it was good.

"I think I saw some of its characters when I fell asleep that night."

Ria was a little taken aback. She had completely forgotten the 'visions' the geek had when he was losing conscious. He declared having noted this in his book. But the discussion on it was not pursued. Ria never knew what to think with this story and had no idea what she could add to that.

Shizune finally shouted to ask for help to the English teenagers to separate Naruto and the sannin. The saviors dealt with the issue by recalling that they had to eat. So the group relented, despite a strong tension between the two duelists, and they decided to go together to eat.

The improvised group went under the gaze of the Narrator with tile shirt, posted on a roof. He saw that a page had turned and that other problems were coming. But for now, things relatively came back to normal.

The heroes of Konoha were preparing to resist the Sokora clan's attacks. And they should put all their soul in it, as the survival of this universe was now upon them.

* * *

_Meanwhile_

_Arashishima Island _

Saying there was tension in the air was an understatement. The island had never been so quiet. The three demons sitting on the tatami did not complain though.

Inside the Sokora domain, everyone was minding his own business in a large room, awaiting the return of the owner. Genkishi remained in his corner, deep in thought, Eiko sharpened a kunai, with Kamu asleep at his side, and Professor Thomas Mitchell was tinkering something with a screwdriver on the famous Pandora.

When the sliding door slid noisily, the steps of the wise man in black kimono attracted the attention of the group. The leader crossed the room with a huge bow in his hand. He crossed the place in a sacred silence, under the patient gaze of his acolytes. He put the bow ceremonially on a rack in a small sanctuary and eventually sit to preside over the gathering. Takeshi opened the discussion by scolding.

"Now that I've adjusted our little problem, and made sure that Nijiko is fine, we can finally talk about the latest events."

Genkishi talked directly.

"What is there to say? Without Inuzuka Gaku and the Uchiha, Konoha is literally out of our reach now. We have no other allies there."

Takeshi governed with an imposing calm.

"It's true. We will consider this village as our official enemy. We will keep that in mind for our future projects and negotiations."

Eiko explained.

"We'll always find people interested by weapons."

"Certainly, admitted the clan leader, but I remind you that our goal is to end the division causing chaos and injustice in this world. If the Sandaime starts talking about us like this, we will have difficulty in finding allies to get there. But I understand that Mitchell-san and his ... friend have a solution for us. "

The scientist had a little chuckle as he filed his tools. He ran a hand over his wavy black hairs tied in a ponytail, before getting up to open a door leading to a room. He pushed his glasses while another clear stranger to this world entered.

It was a muscular man with the stature of the people who were on the battlefield. His sight inspired respect, especially by his right but casual pace. A person who do not let himself troubled but seemed to have no remorse troubling others. His suit gave him a fairly relaxed style and was the antithesis of the Professor's white crumpled shirt. Like his hair in spikes which gave him a younger style. His late thirties, the same age as about Mitchell, was visible in his face already experienced but still energetic. His smile could not hide however the impressive side of his muscular body.

The Sokora had seen him arriving this morning, but didn't had the opportunity to be introduced because of their problems. The professor introduced him.

"Gentlemen, I present you my friend Richard Wulf. We know each other for a long time, when we were in the army. He still works with it besides, as an influential businessman."

Eiko asked with cold curiosity.

"You are a weapon dealer?"

The newcomer said, sitting on the floor, on an unprecedented light tone in these places.

"Absolutely. But I am much more than that."

Mitchell continued, sitting down.

"This is a man whom we can trust. I told him about our projects because he has many resources at his disposal and knowledge that will be useful to us."

Genkishi asked to the Professor suspiciously.

"And what does he asks in exchange for his support?"

Mr. Wulf did not seem offended at all by this. Mitchell said while he was looking for something in his briefcase.

"Not so much actually. I'm sure his conditions will seem reasonable to you."

The teacher took out of his bag a pile of folders and placed them before him loudly. He then told without seeming worried at all

"Listen, I know we've suffered some setbacks recently. But I have great news for you. I recently made various discoveries of extreme importance and ways Mr. Wulf's help will allow us to launch various projects I had in mind that will change everything. "

Mitchell passed to each member of the assembly one of the files he had brought before continuing.

"Let me introduce you to _Olympus_. This is a set of projects that will allow everyone to become much more powerful. It will take time to achieve it, especially with all we have to do at the same time. But I'm certain that once I exposed them to you, you will find that this efforts will be worth it. Especially with ... this. "

Professor laid on the table a black cubic object as black as emptiness and grey as a blade. An electronic gadget as big as an apple, inlaid with a metal cross on each of its faces. This instrument from another world appeared to be the result of billions of years of technological evolution. It stood in the middle of the group like a dark grail.

The teacher proudly presented his masterpiece.

"Here's the Pandora 2.0. The perfect combination of my knowledge, the secrets of the Sokora clan and the precious metal you showed me Takeshi-san. With this, nothing will limit us on this island or my former home. Now, nothing can stop us. "

The black congregation was extremely attentive.

Everyone remembered how their options were limited by the weakness of the Pandora. But the professor seemed to settle this. They might as well go where they want and develop their business in an incredible and frightening way. Especially if the 'Olympus' projects also revealed as miraculous than the professor claimed.

All had a folder with a specific name.

Mitchell had the files named 'Pandora 2.0'.

Wulf, those entitled 'Ares'.

Genkishi was the project 'Poseidon'.

Takeshi, one named 'Zeus'.

Eiko took the folder named 'Hades'.

The conflict between the Sokora clan and the village of Konoha changed into a real war. A war where the most terrible weapons ever seen in the two universes would come.

Konoha had won a battle, but Sokora wanted to make sure the final victory would be theirs.

The avatars of the destruction would soon walk among men.

* * *

References :

Dark Souls, Date A Live, Danganronpa, John Carter, Stardust, Assassin's Creed, Doctor Who, Danganronpa, The Incredibles, Matrix


End file.
